


Systema

by AFatFlyingWhale



Category: RWBY
Genre: 87 chapters to post bear with me, Actual Balanced Gameplay, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Early chapters are weaker, F/F, F/M, Gen, I'm not even kidding, LitRPG, Minor Character Death, Never put tags on something before, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, People get injured often, There's a whole spreadsheet developed, uh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:42:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 85,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28640199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AFatFlyingWhale/pseuds/AFatFlyingWhale
Summary: The System awakes, and so does Jaune Arc. Of course, one is awakening from an eons long slumber and the other went to bed too late the night before and slept in far too long. The System adjusts to a methodology suitable for a teenage boy, and as such accidentally invokes the god-given right of living a video game. Jaune's in for a wild ride.Cross-posted from Fanfiction.net
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Ruby Rose, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 9
Kudos: 13





	1. Bedroom Woes

* * *

  


Waking up was a completely normal thing that people did everyday, without fail, and nothing weird ever happened when they did.

So why, why, why did something weird have to happen to Jaune Arc when he woke up.

“Ah!” Jaune cried out as he opened his eyes, rolling sideways in surprise and thumping noisily to the wooden floor.

“Ah!” Jaune cried out again as he touched the planks, the wood being much colder than the lovely warmth that was his bed.

“Ah!” Jaune cried out a third time when he remembered that the weird thing that made him roll out of bed, which was still there.

Small, light-blue and hovering, the two-dimensional rectangle floated in front of Jaune’s face as menacingly as a small, light-blue, hovering two-dimensional rectangle could possibly be, when considering the fact that it had rather friendly looking font on the front.

** [Welcome to the System, brought to you by the spontaneous awakening of your semblance, despite your obvious lack of Aura!] **

“Ah!” Jaune cried out a fourth time once he had finished reading what the hovering mildly-menacing two-dimensional rectangle had written on it, its light-blue glow glowing light-blue-y.

At this point, there is only so much one can do to describe the rather odd experience Jaune was, well, experiencing.

Jaune stared at what was undoubtedly some kind of hallucination for a good couple minutes, willing it away with his mind.

What he was actually doing was staring blankly at the floating rectangle without a single thought passing through his mind, the teen completely stunned.

“Ah?” Jaune said, practically creating his own language at this point. Luckily, Jaune was fluent in confusion, as was evident when the door to his bedroom opened.

“Jaune? What are you doing?” His mother, Juniper Arc, asked, a concerned look on her face.

“Ah…” Jaune began, adding to his rather enormous lexicon thus far.

To the un-addled mind, one would notice that the floating rectangle was, in fact, either invisible to everyone else, or a simple hallucination.

To Jaune’s addled mind, however, the only thing he could really formulate was the fact that it was morning, and he was rather peckish.

Thankfully, his mother simply sighed and shook her head, before preparing herself to walk away. “Jaune, breakfast is ready and waiting, so whenever you are done staring into space come down, okay?”

“Yeah…” Jaune replied, adding an entirely new syllable to his impromptu language, therefore dictating him the most intelligent person alive who could speak that language. Of which he already was, so it wasn’t really a big benefit to social rank.

Or any rank.

Or anything.

What was he doing?

The door to his room closed with a quiet ker-chunk, and Jaune snapped his gaze right back at the offending rectangle.

“What are you?” Jaune asked, using actual coherent words to form a proper sentence for the first time this morning.

Of course, Jaune was talking to a floating rectangle, so the response was about what would be expected.

For those of you at home who can’t imagine what that would be, write something on a piece of paper, hold it in front of you, and ask the same question as above.

Jaune stared at the rectangle some more, before noticing a detail he’d somehow missed the first couple minutes of dead-eyed staring he’d done.

A little cross in the top right stared back at him, figuratively of course, a real cross staring would’ve made the sole Arc male freak out even more and that wouldn’t be very good for the teen’s mental health, which was already deteriorating at a rather rapid rate.

Jaune contemplated sticking a finger out and poking the proffered solution to what was starting to seem like a serious problem.

One second passed, a second second passed. A third, a fourth.

On the fifth, Jaune bit the barrel and stuck his index finger out and quickly poked the cross.

The rectangle disappeared.

“Ah!” Jaune cried out once again, regressing back to the lesser language as he recoiled.

A new floating rectangle appeared, and once Jaune got over the shock of seeing it appear, he began to read.

** [Would you like to run the Tutorial for the System?] **

“Yes?” Jaune said aloud, doubting his sanity with each syllable.

** [Running System Tutorial.] **

Jaune watched in shock as the rectangle changed, and slowly reformed around him, boxes of information presenting themselves.

** [Your Aura, for unknown reasons, triggered itself whilst you slept, and with it your semblance awakened. Due to the nature of your semblance, your Aura has been re-locked temporarily, but will be unlocked after certain criteria are met.] **

** [Your semblance, the System, is a mechanism that interacts with the known universe in ways unheard of prior to its awakening. Due to the complexity of your semblance, the System has designed its own Tutorial for you to progress through in order to understand the basics, and to form a comprehensive starter understanding in order for you to be capable of developing your semblance correctly.] **

** [←][→] **

Jaune quickly read through the rather complicated text that floated in front of him, before poking the next button.

** [The System is much like a video game, primarily RPGs. The System grants you Stats, Skills and Abilities, Quests, and various other tropes from video games. Firstly, say or think ‘Stats’ to bring up your Stats menu.] **

** [←][Say or Think ‘Stats’] **

Jaune blinked. “Stats?” He said aloud, taking an involuntary step back as a much larger blue rectangle spawned itself into existence in front of him.

** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: N/A] **

** [Level: 1] **

** [XP: 0/1000] **

** [HP: 100/100] **

** [SP: 100/100] **

** [MP: 100/100] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

** [STR: 10] **

** [END: 10] **

** [AGI: 10] **

** [INT: 10] **

** [WIS: 10] **

** [CHA: 10] **

** [LCK: 10] **

** [Skill Points: 0] **

** [Lien: 0] **

“Woah,” Jaune muttered.

** [Your Stats affect your physical and mental capabilities, including but not limited to strength, intelligence and charisma, amongst others. Your Stats also measures your health, stamina, mana and Aura, along with Experience Points. Would you like the System to go into more detail about these?] **

** [←][Skip Details][→] **

Jaune poked the right arrow with his index finger, still a little flummoxed.

** [Health, measured in Stats as HP, or Hit Points, is a numerical indicator of your physical health. It is affected by the Endurance stat. Stamina, measured in Stats as SP, is a numerical indicator of your physical exhaustion. It is also affected by the Endurance stat. Mana, measured in Stats as MP, is a numerical indicator of the magical energy that you have at your disposal. It is affected by the Intelligence stat, for its total capacity, and the Wisdom stat, for its regeneration. Aura, measured in stats as AP, is a numerical indicator of your Aura, which is the physical manifestation of the soul. Unlike all other semblances, the System does not require Aura to function. AP is affected by the Endurance stat. Experience Points, measured in Stats as XP, is a numerical indicator of how much experience you have gained, and how close you are to achieving a new level. Experience Points will be delved into at a later point in the Tutorial.] **

** [←][→] **

Jaune dead-stared at the block of text, slowly but surely absorbing the information presented. He poked the right arrow once he was finished, internally hoping for less information, and yet paradoxically hoping for more.

** [Each Stat corresponds to a physical or mental attribute that affects both your numerical indicators, and your actual existence. STR, or Strength, affects muscle mass, and allows you to carry more, hit harder and throw further, for example. END, or Endurance, affects overall fitness, and allows you to sprint longer, fight longer and take more hits, for example. AGI, or Agility, affects dexterity and reactions, and allows you to dodge easier, aim better and be more nimble, for example. INT, or Intelligence, affects Intelligence Quotient, or how smart you can be, and allows you to think smarter, plan better and have access to more mana, for example. WIS, or Wisdom, affects how you use intelligence, and allows you to plan for foolishness, amongst other things, and allows your access to mana to regenerate faster, for example. CHA, or Charisma, affects how charming you are, and allows you to woo people, convince them of things, and otherwise hold a more social position easier, for example. LCK, or Luck, affects how lucky you are, and allows you to be more likely to succeed in random chance, for example.] **

** [←][→] **

Jaune scanned through the information, perking up as he read it. His semblance allowed him to directly increase his stats, which directly correlated to his own physical and mental presence? That was incredible, if it wasn’t all just one big fever dream. He pressed the next arrow.

** [The System gives you access to Skills and Abilities, both active and passive. Some skills will be almost negligible in effect, but some could be considered semblances on their own. Say or think ‘Skills’ to open the Skills and Abilities menu.] **

** [←][Say or Think ‘Skills’] **

Jaune did as he was bid. “Skills.”

** [Skills:] **

** [ ** _** System Mind (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you now possess a mind immune to all negative effects, and you can now nullify potentially negative emotions.  _ _** Level MAX. ** _ ** ] **

** [ ** _** System Body (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you now possess a body that heals rapidly from injuries, even from any loss of limb, decapitation, or other debilitating injury, unless you bypass your HP total.  _ _** Level MAX. ** _ ** ] **

** [You will notice that you currently possess two skills; System Mind and System Body. Both of these skills are passive, meaning they are active at all times, and are both at Level MAX, meaning that they cannot increase in level, as they have already reached the maximum level they can. Skills and Abilities can be acquired multiple ways. Certain items count as Skill Books, and consuming a Skill Book can provide a skill. If you already know the skill the Skill Book provides, you gain an experience boost towards that skill. Another way to acquire skills is to create them yourself, by performing a certain action. Try jumping.] **

** [←][Try Jumping] **

Jaune coiled his legs, and pushed off the ground, leaping a solid foot off the ground, before thudding against the wooden planks of his bedroom floor.

A dinging noise made Jaune yelp.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Jump (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now improve on your jumping! A Jump costs 1SP, and you can Jump 0.1ft x STR high per Jump. Aura may be consumed to increase Jump height at 1AP per 5ft.  _ _** Level 1; XP 1/100. ** _ ** ] **

It took Jaune a moment to calculate how high he could jump at the moment. Coincidentally, it was one foot, so so far so good.

** [You may notice that you have 1/1000 XP towards leveling Jump. This is not XP gained towards total level, however.] **

** [←][→] **

Jaune pressed the next arrow, intent of figuring it all out.

** [As you complete Quests, kill enemies and accomplish goals, you will gain Experience Points. Every point of XP accrued does multiple things, depending on how it is acquired. Killing a monster that awards 100XP would provide 100XP to the XP Meter, which gets you 100XP closer to leveling up, which rewards you with skill points and upping the level limit as to which skills can reach. It would also reward 50XP to whatever skill or ability was used whilst killing the monster, and give 50XP to the XP Meter that is assigned to a title, if one is equipped and requires XP.] **

** [←][→] **

Another poke of the arrow, and he was expecting more information. Jaune was already starting to get tired.

** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Learning The System. ** _ ** ] **

** [Complete the Tutorial!] **

** [Reward: 1000 XP, 20 Lien] **

“Huh,” Jaune said once again, starting to repeat himself.

** [This is a Quest. Completing Quests is a surefire way to profit in multiple ways, from Lien to XP. All Quests will have rewards, but some will also have penalties for failure, and some will even have penalties for completion.] **

** [←][→] **

Jaune sat down on his bed, index finger poking the next arrow.

** [The Tutorial is almost complete, but the Hint Mechanic is still toggled on, and will periodically provide hints about certain mechanics of the System.] **

** [Quest Completed!] **

** [ ** _** Learning The System. ** _ ** ] **

** [Complete the Tutorial] **

** [Reward: 1000 XP, 20 Lien] **

** [Level Up!] **

** [You are now Level 2!] **

** [+5 Skill Points!] **

Jaune almost fell out of his bed a second time that morning as the influx of notifications popped up, startling him.

“Stats,” Jaune said far more confidently than he felt.

** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: N/A] **

** [Level: 2] **

** [XP: 0/2000] **

** [HP: 100/100] **

** [SP: 100/100] **

** [MP: 100/100] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

** [STR: 10] **

** [END: 10] **

** [AGI: 10] **

** [INT: 10] **

** [WIS: 10] **

** [CHA: 10] **

** [LCK: 10] **

** [Skill Points: 5] **

** [Lien: 20] **

Well, for one, his level had gone up by one, and he apparently had five skill points now. He also had 20 Lien, although where that was was beyond him at this point.

“Jaune! Are you coming down or what!?” His mother called out from downstairs, prompting Jaune to completely panic in his rush to make it downstairs.

“Well, too late son. You know the rules, and you lost.”

Jaune stumbled to a halt inside the kitchen to see the entire Arc family sitting and eating, Jaune’s portion waiting for him. His father, Chrys Arc, who had spoken, sitting at the head of the massive table with a cheery smile on his face.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Last one down does the dishes,” Jaune moaned, sitting in his seat as his sisters all smirked at him in varying levels of mirth.

Breakfast in the Arc household was always a loud affair, with ten people  _ without _ guests. On holidays it was a nightmare, but it wasn’t always that bad. The four oldest sisters, Violet, Indigo, Lapis and Olive respectively, all worked as Huntresses, as did both Juniper and Chrys, and so most days the house was in the care of Jaune’s twin Daisy, or Jaune himself, with the two working shifts whenever the elders weren’t around to care for the younger two, Marigold and Azalea.

That was soon to change, however, with Jaune shipping off to Vale soon.

“So, Jaune, everything all set for that trip down to Vale?” Chrys asked, as he stabbed the chunk of pancake on his plate like it owed him an exorbitant amount of money.

“ Yeah, I’ve just got to pack my stuff,” Jaune replied, completely avoiding the topic of  _ why _ he was going to Vale.

“Well, you’re old enough to make your own decisions, so I won’t get in the way,” Chrys said, dumping another stack of pancakes on his plate and performing a mafia-esq torture re-enactment as he drenched them in maple syrup.

“And if it doesn’t work out, you can always come back home. We don’t want you to think that we’d think you a failure,” Juniper said as she peacefully cut away a bite-size piece of her pancake, lightly spreading some syrup on top of it.

“Thanks Mum,” Jaune half-muttered.

Breakfast continued on without much pause, and sooner or later everyone had left the dining room, leaving Jaune to clean up the mess.

** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Housework: Dishes. ** _ ** ] **

** [Help out the family and wash all the dishes!] **

** [Reward: 100 XP] **

Jaune sighed as he began his work, scrubbing away at the plates, cups and cutlery that were stacked high in the sink.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Dishwashing (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now improve on your dishwashing! Dishwashing speed increased by 5%.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

** [Hint! Repeatedly using skills will both level them up, and contribute progress towards stats.] **

An hour, yes, an hour later, Jaune was done, the cacophonous dings that preceded an update of his dishwashing progress as staccato as ever.

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [x8] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Dishwashing ** _ ** has reached level 9!] **

** [Quest Completed!] **

** [ ** _** Housework: Dishes. ** _ ** ] **

** [Help out the family and wash all the dishes!] **

** [Reward: 100 XP] **

** [Hint! Say or Think ‘Small’ to bring up a smaller stats window.] **

Jaune dried his hands on a hand-towel hanging over the oven handle, before taking a quick stretch. “Small Stat.”

** [Jaune Arc|Lv2] **

** [XP: 100/2000] **

** [HP: 100/100] **

** [SP: 100/100] **

** [MP: 100/100] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

Honestly, Jaune was pretty happy with himself, all things considered.  _ System Mind  _ didn’t seem to attempt to nullify his elation at a job well done, and a job well done it was, as he brought up his skills menu, looking at his  _ Dishwashing _ skill.

** [ ** _** Dishwashing (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now improve on your dishwashing! Dishwashing speed increased by 50%.  _ _** Level 9; XP 43/100. ** _ ** ] **

So, he was a better dishwasher at least. Maybe if his plans in Vale fell through he could get a job at a cafe somewhere.

He’d need a part-time job to cover the rent for the week or two before anyways.

Jaune quickly checked the clock on the wall, before blinking as another box appeared at its own whim.

** [Hint! The top left of your peripheral has a clock!] **

It wasn’t wrong, and the fact that both times were nearly eleven in the morning was quickly the more important thought that threatened to take over his mind.

He was supposed to be taking a flight from the shuttle bay at seven in the evening, which meant he had to pack and be ready by six at the latest, but that was seven hours away.

The most important thing he could do was train, and so training was something he decided to do.

There was no sense in applying for Beacon Academy without being willing to spend some spare time training, especially with the morning’s revelations.

Jaune walked through the living room, which was thankfully empty, and took the blade off the mantlepiece, quickly walking to the side door of the admittedly large house and calling out. “I’m just going out for a walk, I’ll be back later!”

There wasn’t a response, but that was fine, it wasn’t as if Jaune was actually looking for one as he stepped outside into the brisk air, pacing towards the nearby forest.

It took roughly twenty minutes before Jaune made it to his usual training spot, a babbling brook providing a pleasant ambience to the chirping of birds, and occasional cicadas.

Jaune placed his hand on the grip of Crocea Mors, the ancient family blade, and drew it, giving it a halfhearted test swing.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Weapon Proficiency: One-Handed Melee (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you are now capable of wielding all one-handed melee weapons without difficulty! The higher the level of this skill, the more skilled you are with all one-handed melee weapons, and the more damage you are capable of dealing.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

** [One-Handed Melee Proficiency Weapon added to list.] **

** [Longsword.] **

Jaune felt the sword enter his mind as if it were a part of his own body, an additional limb made of steel and sharpness.

“Woah…” The teen said in awe, as he gave the sword a twirl, the blade glistening in the almost-midday sunlight.

He hooked his other arm around the sheath, bringing it up and deploying its shield form.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Weapon Proficiency: Shield (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you are now capable of wielding all shields without difficulty! The higher level of this skill, the more skilled you are with all shields, and the more damage you are capable of dealing and blocking.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

** [Shield Proficiency Weapon added to list.] **

** [Heater Shield.] **

Jaune felt like new, as if his eyes had been opened to something he’d never quite felt before, only heard tale told from others.

This was what it felt like to be capable of using his weapons, of being able to fight.

Jaune felt at the top of the world at that moment. Nothing could tear him down from the pinnacle he’d achieved, there was absolutely nothing that would break his resolve, nothing that could-

Jaune felt the Beowolf’s claw impact against his side before he even knew it was there, and as the teen was sent rolling backwards from the impact, it growled its deep growl, wary on its approach.

“Urgh!” Jaune cried out as he impacted against the base of a tree, the bark rough against his bare neck. Opening his eyes, Jaune watched the Beowulf slowly pace towards him, eyes glowing the menacing red that the Grimm were known for.

Unlike what the Grimm were known for, however, was the floating box that hovered above the Beowolf’s head.

** [Beowolf] **

** [Grimm, Level 2] **

** [Health: Uninjured] **

It was undoubtedly a health indicator, and Jaune quickly righted himself, grabbing his sword from where it lay in the dirt next to him.

** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Huntsman: First Steps (Part 1) ** _ ** ] **

** [Slay your first Grimm!] **

** [Reward: 400 XP, 100 Lien, ???] **

That was the first time Jaune had seen question marks for a reward, but it wasn’t as if he was overly familiar with Quests. He quickly snapped his attention back to his foe, the Beowolf growling menacingly at him.

Jaune shouted at the Grimm in response, charging in with his sword raised high above his head, his shield held in front of him.

The Beowolf responded by sprinting towards the charging teen, its eyes leaving red trails in the air as it snarled.

Jaune struck first, using his shield to smack into the Beowolf, before bringing his blade down to meet its outstretched arm.

The Beowolf took the hit from the shield, stunned for a moment mid swing as its arm was lopped off by a sharp slice from what was supposed to be easy prey.

Jaune, stepped back, eyeing the Grimm’s health bar, noticing that it only had thirty HP left, and quickly stepped close again, slashing at the Grimm.

The Grimm was suicidal, that much was obvious, it couldn’t possibly be any older than a month or so as it simply snarled and tried to bite the sword.

Naturally, biting a sword is a great way to get your jaw removed, so as the bottom half of the Beowolf’s head hit the ground to join the rest of the body in fading away, Jaune slumped to the ground panting.

He’d killed his first Grimm! He’d actually done something worthwhile!

** [Quest Completed!] **

** [ ** _** Huntsman: First Steps (Part 1) ** _ ** ] **

** [Slay your first Grimm!] **

** [Reward: 400 XP, 100 Lien, “Huntsman Initiate” Title] **

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Shield Bash (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can bash an opponent with your shield, stunning the opponent and dealing a small amount of damage. Certain opponents may be immune to stun. Costs 20 SP.  _ _** Level 1; XP 25/100. ** _ ** ] **

** [Ding!] **

** [Through constant exertion, you’ve gained 1 point of STR, and 1 point of END!] **

Jaune leaned back. “Stats.”

** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: Huntsman Initiate] **

** [Level: 2] **

** [XP: 550/2000] **

** [HP: 47/110] **

** [SP: 110/110] **

** [MP: 100/100] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

** [STR: 11] **

** [END: 11] **

** [AGI: 10] **

** [INT: 10] **

** [WIS: 10] **

** [CHA: 10] **

** [LCK: 10] **

** [Skill Points: 5] **

** [Lien: 120] **

Honestly, he wasn’t doing to bad, he thought. It wasn’t like he had much experience with the ‘System’, as it kept calling itself, but he liked to think that he was doing pretty well so far.

The teen slumped back, lying down and staring at the sky in his peripheral vision, his stat box taking up the primary part of his vision.

He’d been injured, or he should’ve been. He’d been hit pretty hard, and he’d felt the claw enter his side. The adrenaline had pretty much wiped that feeling from his mind, and he couldn’t feel it now, but even as he checked his side he found nothing but torn clothing and perfectly fine skin.

The claw should’ve disemboweled him, to be perfectly honest, but he supposed that the  _ System Body _ skill was doing what it said it did. His HP was down and his clothes were torn, so it definitely hit him.

“This is so weird it isn’t even funny,” Jaune said to himself, the sunlight filtering down between the leaves of the swaying trees that surrounded him.

Jaune watched the small stats box in his peripheral as his HP slowly regenerated, counting how many seconds it took.

It took roughly two seconds to regenerate 1 HP, or so his little periphery clock told him, so it wasn’t too difficult to figure out the maths on how the regeneration worked, with 11 Endurance.

“It has to be Endurance divided by twenty, right?” Jaune asked himself as he stood up and grabbed Crocea Mors.

** [Ding!] **

** [For figuring out how regeneration works, you’ve gained 1 point of Intelligence!] **

** [Unlocked: Stats Detailed Readout.] **

Jaune blinked, and quickly opened his stat menu.

** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: Huntsman Initiate] **

** [Level: 2] **

** [XP: 550/2000] **

** [HP: 56/110 (0.55/s)] **

** [SP: 110/110 (2.2/s)] **

** [MP: 110/110 (1/s)] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

** [STR: 11] **

** [END: 11] **

** [AGI: 10] **

** [INT: 11] **

** [WIS: 10] **

** [CHA: 10] **

** [LCK: 10] **

** [Skill Points: 5] **

** [Lien: 120] **

Jaune took in the new details, before noticing something he’d been yet to notice. He pressed his finger against the title option, noting how it brought up a new window.

** [Title] **

** [Huntsman Initiate:  ** _ As a Huntsman Initiate, you gain +10% XP from all Grimm kills.  _ _** Next Rank: Huntsman Novice (0/5000 XP) ** _ ** ] **

That was a pretty good title, whatever title meant, so Jaune was pretty happy.

The short amount of time he’d spent training was already proving to be the most beneficial training he’d done thus far, to this day, and he’d really only left the house half an hour ago.

Now, to get better at this whole ‘System’ thing.

* * *

  


** [Tutorial Mode  ** On/ ** Off] **

** [Good luck. You’re going to need it.] **

* * *

  


** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: Huntsman Initiate] **

** [Level: 2] **

** [XP: 550/2000] **

** [HP: 56/110 (0.55/s)] **

** [SP: 110/110 (2.2/s)] **

** [MP: 110/110 (1/s)] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

** [STR: 11] **

** [END: 11] **

** [AGI: 10] **

** [INT: 11] **

** [WIS: 10] **

** [CHA: 10] **

** [LCK: 10] **

** [Skill Points: 5] **

** [Lien: 120] **

* * *

  


  
  
  



	2. Arc Airways

* * *

  


The sounds of a peaceful forest in mid-afternoon were interrupted with a staccato rhythm, the solid thwacking sound of a sword thudding into the trunk of a tree.

Jaune wiped the sweat off his brow as he buried Crocea Mors into the dirt, leaning against the grip as he panted.

Two hours. He’d been at this for two whole hours, and he was already feeling more confident with the family sword. He’d even gotten plus 2 STR and plus 2 END from exercising!

“Skills,” Jaune uttered aloud as he sheathed the blade.

The skill menu opened itself, and Jaune clicked the Proficiency tab, checking it.

** [ ** _** Weapon Proficiency: One-Handed Melee (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you are now capable of wielding all one-handed melee weapons without difficulty! The higher the level of this skill, the more skilled you are with all one-handed melee weapons, and the more damage you are capable of dealing.  _ _** Level 2; XP 48/200. ** _ ** ] **

** [Longsword.] **

He was pretty happy with his progress thus far, and already the sword felt... 

He couldn’t really put how the sword felt into words. It felt almost like it belonged, in a sense.

Jaune was drawn from his musing as he felt a buzzing in his pocket. Reaching in, he grabbed his scroll and checked the caller ID, before answering it.

“Jaune, you need to get back here and pack young man!” His mother cried out through the Scroll’s speakers, almost deafening the teen as he held it to his ear.

“Oh yeah, right! I’m on my way,” Jaune replied quickly, as he hurriedly checked the clearing to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind.

“You’d better be Jaune. I’ll see you soon,” Juniper said before she hung up, leaving a mildly panicked Jaune in the middle of the clearing.

Jaune noticed something glittering on the ground where he’d killed the Beowolf.

Heading home could wait a moment, he needed to check out what it was.

Walking over, Jaune bent down and looked at the offending item.

On the ground sat 5 Lien.

“Huh.”

Jaune picked up the Lien, and pocketed it, before preparing himself to head back home.

He had a short walk ahead of him, but…

Maybe this would be a good opportunity to get a new skill.

Jaune assumed a runner’s start, before firing off, sprinting towards home.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Sprint (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now sprint better than ever before! Sprinting costs 5SP/s, and you can sprint up to half-AGI m/s.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

Jaune sprinted along at five meters per second, not the fastest sprinting time ever, but certainly enough to cover the ground between his little training clearing and home in a much shorter time than walking would have.

As Jaune ran, he tried to figure out how long he could sprint for. If it costed 5 SP per second, and he had 130 SP, he could sprint for 26 seconds. Of course, he also had a regeneration rate of 2.6 SP per second, but from what he could tell it didn’t regenerate whilst being used, so regardless of that it didn’t make it too complicated to figure out how it worked.

** [Ding!] **

** [For figuring out more details on how stats work, you’ve gained 1 point of Intelligence!] **

That was nice. Jaune slowed down to a pant, having covered almost a tenth of the way in half a minute. A twenty minute walk shortened to five minutes of sprinting was pretty neat.

** [Ding!] **

** [Through constant exertion, you’ve gained 1 point of END and 1 point of AGI!] **

And there was the stat gains, they were nice too. Jaune was starting to believe that this semblance was the best thing to have ever happened to him.

Honestly, Jaune was getting faster and faster the more he sprinted, and soon enough the teen was standing at the front door to his house, sweat pouring down his head as he quickly regained his breath,  _ System Body _ kicking in to prevent exhaustion and to assist him in regaining any depleted energy as his stamina regenerated rapidly.

Jaune pushed his way through the front door.

“Ah, there you are. Get started packing, you’ve got a lot to do,” Juniper said, gesturing to her only son to quickly head upstairs.

Jaune, not one to refuse either his mother or a good idea, quickly did as he was bid, climbing the stairs and heading to his room.

Once inside, he closed the door behind him and gazed around.

His stuff was mostly left where it was, which was to say it was scattered around the room like some kind of bomb had gone off.

It was at this moment that Jaune remembered he had Crocea Mors on his belt, and the teen freaked out, quickly tossing it onto his bed and shifting the covers over it.

Once that fiasco was sorted, Jaune began to collect whatever he thought he’d need for his extended stay in Vale. He reached down and picked up his spare hoodie, this one lacking his favourite logo, and went to place it in the suitcase his mother had plucked out of the attic and handed to him the day before.

** [Hint! Say ‘Inventory’ to open your inventory!] **

“Inventory?” Jaune questioned aloud, as a new window opened in front of him.

A grid of boxes opened, next to a floating three-dimensional model of himself, a few boxes with what he was wearing in them hovering next to where they sat on his body.

“Huh,” Jaune uttered, staring once again at the power his semblance provided.

Jaune reached out and placed the hoodie he was holding in the first slot, marvelling as it seemed to slide in, suddenly ceasing to exist in the very dimension it once did.

Jaune noticed another slot, this one full. With a quick tap, Jaune checked it.

120 Lien sat comfortably in the slot, obviously a slot specifically for Lien. Jaune reached into his pocket and added the 5 Lien he’d picked up from the forest floor and placed it in the slot, the 5 Lien note stacking with the other notes.

Jaune wasn’t from a family that had much money to spare for luxurious goods. The thing about having eight children was that it cost just so damn much for upkeep, and Chrys and Juniper Arc tried their hardest to provide for them. Sure, they couldn’t afford to buy expensive goods and expensive services, but Jaune, and the rest of his siblings, had never gone wanting, really.

Now Jaune had 125 Lien to his name after less than a day’s work, and that was already a not-so-insignificant amount of money.

Jaune shook his head to clear it of transient thoughts, setting about loading his inventory with the things he’d need for Vale.

Of course, he’d still need to bring the empty suitcase if he didn’t want to look insane. There was still the matter of figuring out how to explain his new semblance to his family, although the easier method was just to not mention it whatsoever. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, and it wasn’t like it would be the first lie he’d told them lately.

Jaune finished packing, and by finished packing what he’d actually done was stuff a few pairs of his outfit, some snacks from his hidden cupboard, and Crocea Mors into his inventory before closing the empty suitcase and carrying it to the front door, where it sat waiting for him to retrieve it when he went to leave.

“Oh, you’re done already Jaune?” His mother asked, and Jaune gave a nod.

“Yeah, I don’t really need that much. You need me to help out with anything?” Jaune asked.

“Nothing that is too pressing, dear. You’ve got some time to spare, though, don’t you?” Juniper replied.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Jaune sat himself down behind the kitchen bench.

“I just wanted to check in with you and make sure that, despite your father’s constant reassurances, this is really what you want to do,” Juniper said, as she opened the oven and slid in an uncooked lamb roast.

Jaune didn’t say anything as it was clear that his mother wasn’t quite finished.

“I’m just not sure what it is that you are doing in Vale, dear. You said you were going to go to a school, but you haven’t actually told me what you’ll be doing at that school, and it has me a little concerned,” Juniper said, closing the oven and facing her only son.

“Mostly just standard schooling stuff, but there’ll be a few classes on self-defense. Nothing major,” Jaune replied, lying through his teeth.

“And it isn’t Beacon, the school both your father and I have forbidden you to go to due to your failing of the entrance exam to Signal?” Juniper asked, staring straight into Jaune’s eyes.

Jaune blinked. “No, Mum, just a standard school. I haven’t picked my units yet, that’s all. I’m still a little indecisive, that’s all.”

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Deceitful Speech (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now deceive people far easier than before. The higher your CHA, the higher chance of success.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

Jaune blinked again, waiting for his mother to turn her back so he could dismiss the notification he’d received.

She stared at him for a second longer, before turning back to the counter to continue with her cooking.

“Well, as long as you stay safe, Jaune,” Juniper said as Jaune scrambled to dismiss the notification that told him he was now better at lying.

“Don’t worry Mum. I won’t do anything dangerous, I promise.”

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Deceitful Speech ** _ ** has reached level 2!] **

* * *

  


The shuttle bay was loud, the sounds of Bullhead engines warming themselves up almost deafening.

Jaune was worried. The last time he’d been on any kind of aircraft had been the family trip to Vale four years ago, and ten people getting incredibly motion sick had only made the trip all that much more awful.

He’d said goodbye to his family, the roast lamb his mother had cooked being as delicious as ever, before his father had driven him out to the shuttle bay and dropped him off.

The airship he had a ticket too was scheduled to leave in ten minutes, and Jaune quickly walked towards the luggage check-in, despite his actual luggage not being in the suitcase.

He finished the whole process of checking in for the flight, and proceeded to the departure lounge, which was a small wooden bench in a room overlooking the airfield. And by airfield Jaune really meant dirt field surrounded by a chain-link fence.

The departure lounge was mostly empty, aside from a few people in business suits lingering around, browsing incessantly on their scrolls.

“Now boarding; Flight 02, for Vale,” The voice over the intercom spoke, as Jaune struggled to understand it. Why they couldn’t use clearer microphones was beyond him, although whether or not it was the fault of the microphone or the speaker was something he’d never really considered.

He paced his way towards the boarding ramp, nervously scratching the back of his head as he mentally attempted to prepare himself for the few hours of stomach-based agony he was bound to endure on the flight. He found his way to his seat, promptly took said seat over with his rear, and waited.

And continued to wait.

And, surprisingly enough, waited some more.

The moment he thought there might be some kind of problem the airship lurched into the air, causing the sole son of the Arc family to freak out.

He wasn’t feeling airsick.

This was either a miracle, a cruel trick, or something his semblance was causing.

Whilst he was willing to scratch out the first option, he opted not to do the same for the second despite the fact he was almost one-hundred percent sure it was the third. It was best not to tempt fate, he thought, and saying it wasn’t a trick was one sure way to do so.

He was off, headed for Vale and anxiously awaiting what was in store for him. He laid back into his seat, enjoying it for the first time in his life, and considered his mental to-do list, so to speak.

Firstly, he had to find a place to stay. That wouldn’t be too difficult, seeing as how Vale was a massive great big city that would most likely have a hotel of some description.

Secondly, he had to find out a way into Beacon Academy, despite his obvious lack of qualifications, or experience.

Although... 

He considered the word experience, rolling it around on the inside of his mouth, balancing it on the tip of his tongue before swallowing it down.

It was entirely feasible that he could prove that he was combat-ready to whomever he had to prove it too, there was just the matter of being combat-ready he had to worry about.

He’d have to grind, to borrow some lexica from video game terminology, although now that he thought about it it was entirely fair that he did so, seeing as he was practically living the most realistic game out there.

Getting himself back onto topic, he considered his options. Grinding was possible, of course, but it was the method of grinding he really had to think about. Sure, he could whack a tree for a few days until he was somewhat capable of fighting with a sword, but it was less about how good he was with his sword and more about how desirable he was as a potential quote-unquote ‘special case.’

If Beacon Academy were to take him in without any prior qualifications, he’d need to present something that no one else was capable of, or at the very least something that was beyond expectations.

He needed to impress them, to make them think he was a worthwhile investment, because if he wasn’t they were gambling on an unknown quantity, and any good gambler knows those aren’t good odds.

What he really needed was something he didn’t already have, something a little more… unique.

** [Ding!] **

** [Through careful consideration, you’ve gained 1 point of WIS!] **

Well, that was nice. It boosted his mana regeneration…

Mana. That was it, it had to be. He’d never heard of it before, outside of games. The concept of magic was of fairytale, an idea that was far too ridiculous to actually be real, and yet, he had it.

Or at least, he thought he did.

He didn’t actually have anything that used mana, so he couldn’t exactly say for certain, but if it was there it had to have a reason, right?

Willing to run with that kind of logic, Jaune considered his gaming knowledge that, whilst limited, was certainly all dedicated to the beginning parts of games. He needed some kind of starter spell, but it was how he would go about making it that was the biggest hurdle.

Jaune relaxed into the chair, deciding to figure it all out when he touched down, opting to instead enjoy the first flight in his life he’d been able to enjoy.

There was just something about ten people needing to hurl into the sole bathroom onboard that really took away from the enjoyment of an airship ride.

* * *

  


The landing had been smooth, as had the trip over, and Jaune had enjoyed it immensely. He chose to retrieve the empty suitcase, although he quickly placed it inside his inventory when he was sure no one was looking.

Vale, even this late in the evening, was still a bubbling hive of activity, the nightlife apparently undeterred by both the influx of crime and ever-present threat of the Grimm, although Jaune had to suspect the reason why the nightlife was so prominent was both of these things being a constant.

He walked along the bustling thoroughfare, headed to one of the more well-off motel-esq establishments, hoping they had a spare room available.

He stepped across the threshold, asked the receptionist, and found that they did in fact have a room available, for only 70 Lien a night.

Sure, Jaune couldn’t afford to stay longer than one night right now, but he hoped that would change soon.

Handing over 70 Lien and receiving a keycard marked ‘207’, Jaune set off towards the staircase, headed to his room and deliberately avoiding the floating notification until he was out of sight.

** [Key added!] **

** [Golden Winds 207 Keycard] **

** [Storing copy in Keys section of the inventory!] **

A copy, huh. That was an interesting revelation, and something Jaune could use to get into all kinds of trouble. Right now it didn’t really pose much use, however, so he simply dismissed the notification and continued down the hallway to his room.

It wasn’t a big room, Jaune noted as he opened the door. It wasn’t extravagant, either, although it was both cheap and clean, and that was all Jaune really needed.

The bathroom was a little cramped but it served its purpose, so Jaune locked the door behind him and turned the shower on, hot water beginning to steam up as it touched the cold tiles.

Stripping down, Jaune stepped inside, marvelling at the feeling of hot water, seeing as he almost never got the first shower at home, so this was something he was most definitely not used to.

He soaped himself up and proceeded to let the hot water wash it off, with the assistance of a washcloth. After a couple minutes of allowing himself to bathe, he turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel off the rack and drying himself off.

He looked at himself in the decreasingly foggy mirror, and noticed a few differences to how he had looked only the day prior.

His muscles were slightly more defined, his body slightly more toned. It was only slight, but that said he’d only received three points of Strength, so it wasn’t as if he was expecting to turn into a massively buff monstrosity after a few days.

He decided against dressing manually, deciding to experiment with his inventory some more.

“Inventory,” he said, bringing up the menu. He dragged an item of clothing to his 3D model that stood there, unashamed in its nakedness, and quickly placed it in the body slot.

A single millisecond passed and Jaune suddenly felt the comfortable fabric against his skin, the model covered in his baby-blue onesie.

“Haha!” Jaune laughed aloud, looking to anyone, were there to be anyone watching, like he was a madman.

Almost done with his inventory, Jaune dropped the clothes he had been wearing into it, noticing a small percentage on each item, noting the icon beside it, of which looked like a small splotch of dirt.

So, his inventory measured how dirty an item of clothing got, that was useful. His hoodie also had a second percentage next to it, this one indicated by what looked like a small bandage. Durability, or damage of some kind.

The hoodie was sitting at 22%, and Jaune realised he’d forgotten he’d been clawed by a Beowolf.

Such a rookie mistake, but it was mostly hidden from a cursory glance, so Jaune really hoped that no one had noticed. If they had, most would chalk it up to a fashion statement, but Jaune was worried someone in his family had paid actual attention to what he was wearing for a change.

There was nothing he could do about it now, however, so Jaune shook his head, dismissing the inventory.

He stepped out of the bathroom and practically slumped into the bed. He was tired, it was late, and all Jaune wanted to do now was sleep.

So sleep he did.

* * *

  


The sun streamed through the blinds, proceeding to glisten in Jaune’s closed eyes, prompting him to roll over.

No such luck for the teen, as going to sleep would promptly be placed aside in favour of turning off the blaring alarm from his scroll.

Jaune opened his eyes, blinking as they cleared themselves from the blurry mess that was the first thing in the morning. His scroll bleeped incessantly from the nightstand where he’d left it, and he outstretched a hand to attempt to silence it.

It took three or four attempts, but he finally reached the offending device, pressing the button to stop the alarm.

He sat up in the bed, before noticing something in his peripheral.

A little icon of a shirt, with some writing beneath it. Jaune focused, and he could read it.

‘-80% CHA’, it read, and Jaune blanched.

Something was taking eighty percent of his Charisma, and there was really only one explanation.

The onesie.

Sure, it wasn’t like a seventeen-year-old should be wearing a onesie to bed, or at least that was what society recommended, but what did society know?

They were too busy shunning Faunus to care about his onesie anyways.

Regardless, the debuff prompted Jaune to quickly shower and change, using his equipment slots to the best advantage he could as he quickly changed.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Jaune picked up his scroll and pocketed it, walking out the door and locking it behind him. He’d be back later on, or so he hoped, although missing the checkout time wouldn’t be a problem seeing as there was nothing left in the room.

Out Jaune stepped into Vale, leaving the Golden Winds. The teen followed his first instinct, and headed to a cafe.

One sat only a few buildings down from the Golden Winds, and Jaune stepped inside, the refreshing smell of pancakes wafting over him. He took a seat and a waitress was quick to walk over.

“What can I get you?” She asked, and Jaune flashed her a smile.

“Just a double stack with some syrup, please,” He replied, and the waitress quickly wrote it down and flicked him a smile in return.

“It’ll be down real quick,” She said, turning and heading towards the kitchen to place his order.

Jaune decided that this was as good a time as any to people watch, and he stared out the window, observing the comings and goings of mid-morning Vale.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Observe (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now observe people/things to discern information about them/it. The higher the level, the more information you are able to discern.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

Now that was a useful skill, although what information it entailed was entirely up in the air. Jaune watched as the waitress moved to a table not too far from him, and used  _ Observe _ .

** [Dahlia Rosemary] **

** [Waitress, Level 1] **

So, not all that much information. He could discern names, job and level, which was useful, but it wasn’t anything world-shattering.

His musing was broken as the waitress, Dahlia, placed a plate of pancakes in front of him.

“Thanks,” Jaune said, smiling as she placed a jug of syrup next to the plate, along with some cutlery.

“No problem,” Dahlia replied.

Jaune was about to get started when he paused, deciding to  _ Observe _ the pancakes.

** [Pancakes, Double Stack] **

** [Food, +50 HP, +25 SP] **

That was far more useful information, something Jaune was happy to see. He was also happy to start eating the pancakes with gusto, despite the fact that he was yet to feel hungry.

Sometimes it was about taste, rather than satiation.

Jaune finished rather quickly, before paying the bill, handing a 5 Lien note to Dahlia with a smile as he set out about the rest of his day.

** [Ding!] **

** [Through using your personal charm, you’ve gained 1 point of CHA!] **

So, a cherry on top of his wonderful breakfast. A great way to start the day.

He was headed for the outskirts of Vale, beyond the city limits, hoping to find some Grimm to kill. He knew they’d be low level and weak, seeing as how close they would be to the city, but he wasn’t exactly ready to face hordes of Ursa Major.

Not yet, but maybe someday.

The walk was peaceful, as Jaune used  _ Observe _ on all the surrounding people, not finding anyone even remotely interesting as he walked.

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Observe ** _ ** has reached level 2!] **

It didn’t take him too long to reach the edge of Vale, and once he did, he noted the wooden pole standing at the edge of a well-worn path.

He observed it, noting as multiple notifications appeared.

** [Signpost] **

** [Map updated!] **

** [Vale, Outskirts added to Map] **

A map. Jaune should’ve figured he’d have a map.

“Map,” Jaune said aloud, watching as a box appeared, a map showing. It was drawn as simple lines, with no colour or detail, and it was mostly blank except for where he had been in the past day or so.

It started back at his home village of Domremy, and showed the path the airship had taken over Sanus to Vale. Jaune tapped Vale, and watched as the map zoomed in, showing the map of the city of Vale. Much like the World Map that had opened originally, it was mostly empty aside from the path he’d taken, and the area he’d updated by observing.

A few symbols stood out on the map, and he noted that one of the symbols was a stylized skull, almost looking like a Beowolf’s head. A quick consultation of the map’s legend and Jaune determined that that was in fact the identifier for Grimm in the area, and so he headed that direction.

The teen walked towards the Forever Fall forest, ready to hunt some of humanity’s worst enemies.

Or so he hoped, anyways.

* * *

  


** [The System has updated!] **

** [A Skill has changed!] **

** [ ** _** System Mind (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you now possess a mind immune to all negative effects, and you can now nullify potentially  _ _ extreme _ _ negative emotions.  _ _** Level MAX. ** _ ** ] **

* * *

  


** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: Huntsman Initiate] **

** [Level: 2] **

** [XP: 550/2000] **

** [HP: 140/140 (0.7/s)] **

** [SP: 140/140 (2.8/s)] **

** [MP: 120/120 (1.1/s)] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

** [STR: 13] **

** [END: 14] **

** [AGI: 11] **

** [INT: 12] **

** [WIS: 11] **

** [CHA: 11] **

** [LCK: 10] **

** [Skill Points: 5] **

** [Lien: 50] **

* * *

  


  
  
  



	3. Bumbling In The Woods

* * *

  


The Forever Fall was exactly what one would expect from what it was named, a forest in a state of permanent autumn. Red and orange leaves fell from mystical trees in a rain of plant matter, and the forest itself smelled almost sickly sweet, reddish sap dripping from trees aplenty.

Jaune, Crocea Mors drawn, paced his way through the forest, looking for Grimm.

So far he hadn’t come across anything, but as he reached a clearing that changed.

Two snuffling Grimm, Boarbatusks, roamed the clearing, looking for something to kill.

Jaune quickly used  _ Observe _ on the two. A level 2, and a lower level 1. Two very easy Grimm, in the grand scheme of things.

They hadn’t noticed Jaune yet, and so he turned his concentration inwards.

Mana, and by that extension Magic, were entirely plausible for his to wield. It was just a matter of him figuring out exactly how to go about doing so.

What would probably be the easiest way to use mana would be to simply create a chunk of it in his hand, and throw it. It couldn’t be that difficult to manifest it, at least, and so that was what he tried, as he collapsed his shield and hung the now-sheath back on his belt.

He planted Crocea Mors in the dirt, close to hand, and raised his right hand, focusing inwards on bringing out the mana.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Bolt (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now manifest Mana into a bolt of energy, which can be flung at enemies at medium distance. Consumes 25 MP per casting, fires 1 bolt per casting.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

His hand glowed a bright blue, crackling almost silently as he held it.

Well, holding it wasn’t really what he was doing, but the accurate terminology eluded him.

He rose from his crouched position, and carefully aimed the glowing bolt, and willed it to release.

It flew forwards and struck the first Boarbatusk in the flank, the pig-Grimm squealing in pain as it rounded on where the bolt had come from, the monstrous red eyes glowing with malignance as they located Jaune.

The lower level Boarbatusk, the one that hadn’t been hit, lowered it’s head and prepared to charge, but Jaune was already firing a second bolt of mana, the crackling blue launching out of his hand and smacking against the armoured forehead of the nearly charging monster.

Jaune quickly drew Crocea Mors from the ground and deployed his shield as he noticed that neither Grimm was dead, and prepared himself for the incoming attacks.

Barely a second passed until the first Boarbatusk thudded against his extended shield, nearly knocking the teen over from the force.

The second one was already rolling its way towards him, and he quickly stepped to the side, allowing the second to pass him by harmlessly as he focused on the first one, his sword stabbing towards its unprotected flank.

The blade bit into the dark flesh of the beast, and it squealed in agony as he thrust harder, pushing the blade deep enough to sever organs, were the Grimm to have any.

Jaune wasn’t actually sure whether or not they had organs, but the thought was promptly whisked out of his head as the second Boarbatusk impacted against his back, sending him stumbling forwards.

It had been a lesser charge, not enough power to do any significant damage, but when Jaune checked his HP he noted it was around the eighty mark. Two more hits like that and he was dead, no matter what happened.

The first one was dead, thankfully, the corpse fading away into the air, but the second one was very much alive, and even angrier that its brethren had been slain.

Jaune rolled to the side to avoid the spiralling charge of the remaining Boarbatusk, and quickly sheathed his sword into the top of his shield, charging a third mana bolt in his hand.

It took less than a second, and he quickly unleashed it, the bolt arcing its way through the air and impacting against the rear of the still turning Boarbatusk, making it squeal.

Fully turned around now, the Boarbatusk shook it’s head and charged, spiralling fast towards the teen.

Jaune charged a fourth bolt and quickly fired it, where it impacted right against the bare underside of the porcine Grimm.

It smelled awful, like molten flesh, and the Grimm squealed its last squeal as it died, tumbling mid-charge into a tree.

Jaune slumped to the ground and panted, one breath after another.

** [Encounter Complete!] **

** [You gained 33XP!] **

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Dodge (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now evade attacks with precision and skill. Consumes 10SP per dodge.  _ _** Level 1; XP 17/100. ** _ ** ] **

All that, for thirty XP. It was a start, and Jaune had a magical bolt of energy and a better dodge capability, but still. He felt he deserved a bit more than that.

It wasn’t up to him, however, despite it being his semblance, so he simply shrugged and checked his meters.

** [Jaune Arc|Lv2] **

** [XP: 583/2000] **

** [HP: 87/140 (0.7/s)] **

** [SP: 140/140 (2.8/s)] **

** [MP: 32/120 (1.1/s)] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

It wasn’t too bad, but he needed a rest before continuing to fight. At this rate he could only really fire another bolt before he was fully tapped mana-wise, and he could really only take another hit before he was in serious trouble.

Thankfully, the Boarbatusk had hit him with brute force, and his clothing seemed undamaged, or at least undamaged to the naked eye.

He’d take a couple minutes to rest, he figured, and from there he’d continue onwards deeper into the Forever Fall.

But first he had to check if the Boarbatusks had dropped anything, much like his first Beowolf had.

* * *

  


Magic was interesting. He’d created the  _ Mana Bolt _ through simple experimentation, and he was wondering if he could create other things much like the bolt.

Maybe he could try manipulating the bolt itself, he thought, as he conjured the bolt of mana.

Arcane energy crackled to life in his hand, and Jaune took the moment to really investigate it.

It was like an orb and yet not, almost shapeless and formless in his hand. He concentrated, trying to give it a form.

Focus gave way to result, as it turned out, as he tried to elongate the bolt of mysticism.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Arrow (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now manifest Mana into an arrow of energy, which can be flung at enemies at a distance. Consumes 40 MP per casting, fires 1 arrow per casting, pierces low-tier armor.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

Huh. Pierces low-tier armor?

Jaune looked over the arrow in his hand, the pointed bolt of mana pulsing slowly in his hand. He aimed it at a tree, and released it, the magical projectile leaving his hand with greater speed than the  _ Mana Bolt _ , blowing a small hole in the tree and continuing through, puncturing a smaller hole in the second tree until it crackled against the third tree, scarring the bark.

That… was pretty powerful, Jaune wasn’t going to lie.

What it did against the Grimm was something Jaune was planning on finding out.

He didn’t have to wait long to find a potential target, a snarling Beowolf, Level 2, sniffing him out and turning to face him.

Jaune created a Mana Arrow in his hand, quickly releasing it at the approaching lupine-esq Grimm.

Jaune had never been luckier, the arrow penetrating straight through the head of the Beowolf, blowing it open at the back and sending the already-dissolving corpse hurtling towards the ground at a considerable speed, the body skidding in the dirt until it reached his feet.

** [Critical Hit!] **

Jaune mused over the new information presented. He could do critical damage, although whether it was based on headshots or just random chance was undecided.

Jaune considered it a little more, before blinking.

It hadn’t popped up with a notification saying the encounter had ended. That meant…

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Sixth Sense (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you now possess a sixth sense around you, alerting you to potential threats or other things you would not normally notice. _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

** [Danger Sense.] **

Jaune sensed danger alright. He dodged forwards, rolling out of the way as a massive claw sliced its way through the air where he had been moments earlier.

Turning, Jaune observed the threat.

** [Alpha Beowolf] **

** [Grimm, Level 3] **

** [Health: Uninjured] **

That wasn’t bad, that was terrifying. Not only was it a level higher than he, it was an Alpha, and it was pissed.

“Good doggy?” Jaune offered, the Alpha Beowolf staring him down like a regular dog staring down a bone, or the sausage someone accidentally dropped at a barbeque.

Jaune was the proverbial sausage in this equation, although he was a sausage that could fight back.

The first  _ Mana Arrow _ impacted against the Beowolf’s left shoulder, puncturing its way through but seemingly not affecting the Grimm, which howled and leapt forwards.

Jaune just barely managed to raise his shield in time to take the first claw, but even then the power behind it drove him back, heels digging into the dirt as he took the hit.

The second claw sliced into the shield, following the first, and Jaune almost buckled, both arms against the shield to prevent the potential of a single arm giving way to the gnashing death that awaited him.

A third swung its way in, but Jaune dodged to the side, rolling out of the way as the sharp claws gouged dirt, the Alpha turning its head to stare at its prey.

Jaune was supposed to be the Hunter in this situation, and yet as the Alpha stalked towards him he felt like anything but.

Another  _ Mana Arrow _ was possible, but he needed time to line up the shot, something he didn’t have as the Grimm bore down upon him, swinging.

Jaune dodged once again, but the Grimm was ready for that, swinging a wide slash that clipped the edge of Jaune, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

Ouch. He was down to just thirty HP, and that was bad. One more hit and he was a goner.

The Alpha Beowolf approached even still, as Jaune clambered to his feet, a  _ Mana Arrow _ in hand.

It howled, lifting its head to the sky and unleashing the howl. Whether it was calling more Grimm, or simply announcing its victory was beyond Jaune, but he knew an opportunity was presenting itself.

He lined up the shot, and fired, the  _ Mana Arrow _ lancing out of his hand and promptly putting a hole in the head of the Alpha Beowolf, a dinging noise indicating he’d hit another critical.

Jaune wasn’t done yet, however, as he sprinted in close and stabbed the chest of the monster with Crocea Mors, the blade piercing matted fur and emerging the otherside in a spray of black viscosity.

** [Encounter Complete!] **

** [You gained 596XP!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [x2] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Weapon Proficiency: One-Handed Melee  ** _ ** has reached level 3!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [x2] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Weapon Proficiency: Shield  ** _ ** has reached level 3!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [x2] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Dodge ** _ ** has reached level 3!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Mana Arrow ** _ ** has reached level 2!] **

** [Ding!] **

** [Through facing difficult challenges, you’ve gained 2 points of STR, 2 points of END, 1 point of AGI, 1 point of INT and 1 point of WIS!] **

That was a lot of notifications.

Jaune, once again, slumped to the ground, this time breathing heavily.

He was close to death, and yet felt fine. He wasn’t panicking, wasn’t bleeding heavily, he didn’t even feel nauseous. All benefits of The System, he guessed.

“Meters,” Jaune said, surprised at his steady voice.

** [Jaune Arc|Lv2] **

** [XP: 1179/2000] **

** [HP: 38/160 (0.8/s)] **

** [SP: 180/180 (3.2/s)] **

** [MP: 35/130 (1.2/s)] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

Well, he was that much closer to leveling up, which was nice. All he had to do was never get in a situation like that ever again and he’d be fine.

Now, Jaune had something more important to consider.

Loot.

He checked the area, noting the already almost gone Alpha Beowolf corpse had left a few things behind. Picking up the 10 Lien that dropped from the Beowolf he’d killed earlier, he walked over the the Alpha.

50 Lien, that was a very nice bolster to his monetary situation, and…

Jaune wasn’t really sure what it was until he picked it up and used  _ Observe  _ on it.

** [Alpha Beowolf Fang] **

** [The fang of an Alpha Beowolf, this rare crafting component sells well, and can also be used as a makeshift weapon in emergencies.] **

Now that was a good find. Jaune opened his inventory and stored it.

And to think, the day had only just begun.

* * *

  


Trekking through the Forever Fall was a surprisingly serene experience, despite the ever-present threat of the Grimm that lingered.

Jaune paced forwards, now that his meters were back to full, and kept his eyes wary, scanning the surroundings for any potential threats.

He didn’t see anything, but another clearing presented itself, and Jaune decided that this was as good a time as any to take a quick break, and try and figure out some new skills.

Jaune sat for a moment, leaning his back against a trunk, and thought.

_ Mana Bolt  _ was powerful, and  _ Mana Arrow _ was even more so, but was there something even better he could make?

Jaune created a  _ Mana Bolt _ in his hand, staring at it once more.

Logically, if he considered it, a bolt was weaker than an arrow, but what was stronger than an arrow?

The answer came to him in a split-second, the teen surprised he didn’t think of it sooner.

A bullet.

Such a simple concept had managed to evade his mind for this long, although considering his previous armament it wasn’t that much of a surprise.

Jaune manipulated the arcane energy in his palm, making it smaller and round, until a small sphere sat on the tip of both his index and middle fingers.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Bullet (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now manifest Mana into a small bullet, which can be fired at enemies at a long distance. Consumes 50 MP per casting, fires 1 bullet per casting, pierces medium-tier armor and multiple soft targets. Deals higher damage than Mana Arrow, but creates a smaller wound. _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

Jaune stared at the sphere, as it hovered at the tips of his fingers. It wasn’t quite what he thought it could be, however.

A bullet didn’t just fly through the air straight, did it?

Jaune knew bullets spun, that was the point of rifling, wasn’t it? He willed the  _ Mana Bullet _ at his fingertips to spin, and he watched as it slowly but surely began to build up momentum.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Spinning Mana Bullet (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now manifest Mana into a small bullet spinning with kinetic energy, which can be fired at enemies at a long distance. Consumes 65 MP per casting, fires 1 spinning bullet per casting, pierces medium-tier armor and multiple soft targets. Deals higher damage than Mana Bullet.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

There we go, thought the Arc teen. That was powerful, and expensive on the Mana consumption. His leading shot would have to be this, although now that he thought about it, was it possible to spin his  _ Mana Arrow _ ?

First, Jaune had to figure out what to do with the spinning orb of destruction that sat on the edge of his fingers. He aimed as if he were a child playing with finger guns, index and middle fingers outstretched, and willed it to release, the bolt shooting off and puncturing a hole through the tree opposite him on the other side of the clearing, making its way through several more trees behind that.

Woah.

Now, Jaune created a  _ Mana Arrow _ in his hand, and much the same as the  _ Mana Bullet _ willed it to spin.

This time, the larger projectile created a bigger vortex as the air around it was drawn in and flung out as it rotated rapidly.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Spinning Mana Arrow (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System,you can now manifest Mana into a spinning arrow of arcane energy, which can be flung at enemies at a distance. Consumes 55 MP per casting, fires 1 spinning arrow per casting, pierces low-tier armor and inflicts bleed[?]. Deals more damage than Mana Arrow, but less than Spinning Mana Bullet.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

Jaune clicked the question mark button next to ‘bleed’, interested as to what it entailed.

** [Bleed] **

** [Bleed is a status effect that can be inflicted, causing damage over time. Damage is dependent on the severity of the Bleed and where the wound which inflicted Bleed is located.] **

That sounded really useful, Jaune thought, as he considered the options he had available to him.

In a standard one-on-one fight against a Grimm, Jaune was best off leading with a  _ Spinning Mana Bullet _ followed by a  _ Spinning Mana Arrow _ , which whilst it left him with negligible Mana for the rest of the combat, it would do significant damage to his foe to begin with, causing the Grimm to be slower and weaker, along with the Bleed status effect. Then, he could go in with Crocea Mors and finish the Grimm off, which conveniently was a great way to earn Skill XP for all his skills. Maybe he could add in a  _ Shield Bash _ occasionally, which really couldn’t hurt.

** [Ding!] **

** [For considering an effective combat strategy, you’ve gained 1 point of INT and 1 point of WIS!] **

Jaune released the  _ Spinning Mana Arrow _ lazily, the Mana projectile spinning off into the forest and making its way through a tree and into another, a remarkably bigger chunk taken out of the tree than what  _ Spinning Mana Bullet _ had done.

Jaune clambered to his feet once the Mana he’d spent had regenerated, looking around the clearing.

It was still, unsurprisingly, empty, and so the teen decided to continue onwards, deeper once more into the Forever Fall.

He didn’t get far before he heard the telltale signs of Grimm, but it was his  _ Sixth Sense _ pinging that picked up something else.

Putting what he felt into words was difficult, and he didn’t really have time to think about what he would’ve said regardless as he tore through the forest towards the Grimm.

_ Sixth Sense _ continued to flare, and he homed in on the source of the proverbial signal, before bursting out of a bush into what could effectively be called a warzone.

Dead Grimm littered the ground, in various states of fading away, but there were alive Grimm too, two specifically.

Three heads turned to face the Arc teen who had burst so unceremoniously from the red and orange flora, and Jaune noted that whilst two of them were Grimm, one was decidedly not.

In fact, it was decidedly human, and even more so fatigued.

Black hair flowed freely over bare shoulders as the white and black themed girl stared at him with amber eyes, her black blade buried deep into the midsection of the first hulking Grimm that stood in front of her, practically pinning her to the tree she’d backed up against.

The Ursa, for that was what the Grimm were, quickly capitalised on her lack of attention, a massive paw smacking her towards Jaune, where she skidded to a halt, a light purple glow shattering around her body as she came to a halt.

That was bad.

Jaune observed the two Grimm, preparing himself for a fight.

** [Ursa Minor] **

** [Grimm, Level 2] **

** [Health: Lightly Wounded] **

** [Ursa Minor] **

** [Grimm, Level 2] **

** [Health: Moderately Wounded] **

Well, at least they were already hurt somewhat.

Jaune quickly stepped in front of the girl, shield raised.

** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Bodyguard; Forever Fall. ** _ ** ] **

** [Protect the mysterious girl, who got knocked unconscious due to your bumbling!] **

** [Reward: 1000 XP, 100 Lien] **

Bumbling? Jaune took a little offense to that, but in truth that had pretty much been what he was doing.

Now was not the time to reminisce, however, as he planted Crocea Mors into the ground, his now empty hand aiming at the closer of the two Ursa, a  _ Spinning Mana Bullet _ spiralling off the tip of his fingers and impacting against the neck of the ursine Grimm.

It roared as the arcane projectile carved a chunk of black matted flesh loose, but Jaune didn’t have time to focus as the second Ursa was already bearing down on him. Heh, bearing-

The pun cost Jaune, the Grimm smacking his shield hard enough to loose it from his grip, the plate of metal spinning off into the distance and burying itself into a nearby tree with enough force to gouge deep into the wood, effectively keeping it pinned.

It was significantly unfortunate that he’d lost his only means of defense, and the Ursa was swinging a second time.

Jaune rolled just to the side, barely avoiding the strike. He needed to do something now, as the second Ursa was approaching, a growl escaping its mouth.

Jaune charged forwards, Crocea Mors in hand, and swung at the closest Ursa, the creature simply taking the blow on its beefy arm, before attempting to smack Jaune back.

A  _ Spinning Mana Bullet _ met its face, burrowing through the thick bone plating and exiting the back of its skull, the Ursa crumpling over the top of Jaune as the second one roared in anger.

Jaune had taken out one threat, but there was still one more, and a quick glance at his meters indicated he only had twenty-three Mana available.

Maybe it was time to stop relying on magic.

Jaune rolled out of the way of the falling bear Grimm, to the side of the second one. The teen kept a wary eye on the girl, who was still unconscious but thankfully out of the way, and he ran towards where his shield was lodged.

A quick  _ Jump _ had him grasp the edge and gravity assisted him in yanking it out of the tree, quickly placing it back on his arm as the Ursa smacked him into another tree.

It had hurt, and Jaune felt the pain quickly nullified by  _ System Body _ , whatever potential wound simply disappearing as soon as it appeared, but he had still felt it.

Shakily, he rose, the Ursa lumbering towards him for another powerful strike. He couldn’t take another hit like that, a recurring theme for the day, and so quickly raised his shield.

The paw hammered down on him, driving him almost to his knees from the force. Jaune quickly snapped back into action, smacking the Ursa with his shield, using  _ Shield Bash _ .

Ineffective, apparently, as the Ursa recovered quickly, managing to block the slash that Jaune had sent its way.

Jaune rolled out of the way as it struck again, the behemoth’s paw smacking the dirt with a thunderous clap, sending a spray of dirt into the air.

Another check of his meters revealed him to be at forty Mana, but it wasn’t enough to do anything significant with. He’d just have to keep avoiding the Ursa until he could.

The Ursa wasn’t willing to keep doing the dance with Jaune however, both paws swinging in to squash Jaune between them.

Jaune did the only thing he could, and stuck out his sword, the handle braced against the back of his shield.

That was possibly the smartest decision Jaune had made in a long time as the Ursa used its own force to pierce its paw, Crocea Mors burrowing deep into the tender flesh and leaving Jaune mostly unharmed.

Unfortunately, as the Ursa roared and pulled its paws away, Jaune lost his grip on Crocea Mors, the blade still stuck in the Ursa.

Jaune rolled backwards, just out of reach of the now very-pissed bear-monster, and hoped for the best.

A  _ Mana Bullet _ left Jaune’s hand and punctured the Ursa’s head, the dinging of a critical hit accompanying the dying whines of the Grimm as it finally collapsed, falling face first into the dirt and lying there unmoving, flesh vaporizing.

** [Encounter Complete!] **

** [You gained 66 XP!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Observe ** _ ** has reached level 3!] **

Jaune quickly retrieved Crocea Mors, before just as quickly making his way over to the girl, still collapsed on the ground.

“Observe.”

** [Blake Belladonna] **

** [---, Level 13] **

** [Condition: Aura Depletion, No Serious Injury] **

Okay, that was good. She was exhausted and out of Aura, not bleeding internally or anything that could be disastrous. It was beneficial that  _ Observe _ was capable of reading that.

Jaune made sure all his gear was sheathed, and quickly grabbed the 40 Lien that the two Ursa had dropped, before lifting the girl, Blake, carrying her out of the Forever Fall forest, and back to Vale.

It was a long walk, and even longer with her in his arms, but he had to do it, so do it he would.

* * *

  


The slight halting of breath was the only telltale sign she gave off as she woke, keeping her eyes as closed and natural as possible.

She listened intently, focusing her hearing, trying to discern whether or not she was alone.

From the feel of material on her skin, she wasn’t in the Forever Fall anymore. She was somewhere else, and she wasn’t sure if that was more or less concerning.

It smelled clean, thankfully, and the material she could feel was soft, like a down blanket.

She opened one eye ever so slightly, amber iris scanning the room.

A room it was indeed, and she was laid out on a bed, her body aching still. The window, and subsequent blinds, were closed, and the doors were also closed.

An armchair sat it the corner, and upon it a teen in a hoodie and jeans, eyes slightly glazed over as he stared at the air in front of him, seemingly reading the very air itself.

She recognized his face as the last one she’d seen, the boy who’d stumbled upon her conflict with the Ursa, the one who’d watched as she got batted aside like an afterthought by a Grimm that weight ten times her own body.

It was apparent that he’d killed the Ursa and rescued her, although she wasn’t exactly happy about that arrangement.

Maybe she could pretend to be asleep until he fell asleep, and sneak out of the room?

It would certainly be easier than explaining anything to the boy, even if he did  _ technically _ save her life.

The choice was taken out of her hands when he looked directly at her.

“Ah, you’re awake! That’s good. I was worried you were more hurt than I’d thought.”

She stared at him, both eyes open now, trying to converse how unhappy she was with the situation without having to say anything.

It seemed the boy didn’t care, however, completely missing the look she was giving him and continuing to speak.

“My name is Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it!” The boy said, once again missing the deadpan stare.

“What’s yours?”

Now she had to speak, and as such she frowned slightly. “Blake Belladonna.”

“Well Blake, it’s nice to meet you, even if it is under worse conditions than either of us would’ve preferred,” Jaune said, before shaking his head as if to dismiss the fact that she was still staring at him.

“So, what were you doing in the Forever Fall as tired as you were?” Jaune asked, a look of concern flashing across his face.

Unneeded concern, in Blake’s opinion, but the boy, Jaune, seemed harmless enough. Not harmless enough to trust with the past, of course, but enough to trust with some part of her future.

“I was on my way to Vale, to apply to Beacon,” Blake said, attempting to sit up.

The wince of discomfort had Jaune rushing to her side, much to her dismay. “Easy, don’t take it so fast. You got hit pretty hard, and it broke your Aura. You’re suffering from Aura exhaustion still, just relax. You aren’t in any state to go anywhere anyways.”

She frowned, and Jaune quickly hurried to placate her. “I don’t mean that you can’t leave, I’m not holding you prisoner or anything, its just that I’ve already paid for the room and you do need the rest. Just relax, sleep, recuperate. You can leave in the morning regardless, and you’ll feel better for it.”

She relented, ceasing her attempts to get up, but didn’t remove her glare.

“Besides, if you’re headed to Beacon I can join you, I’m actually headed there myself to apply,” Jaune said with a smile, scratching the back of his head.

Blake reacted to that with an emotionless “hmph,” Jaune taking that as both an agreement and as a dismissal for the night, and as such he stepped towards the door that led to the hallway, before turning.

“The room is yours, by the way. I figured I should let you know. I’m in 207 if you need me,” Jaune said, and with that he left, leaving Blake alone in the room.

The moment the door closed Blake let out a groan of pain, re-adjusting herself in the bed and trying to sleep.

Jaune hadn’t been wrong. She was exhausted.

* * *

  


The door to 205 clicked shut, and Jaune entered 207, closing his door behind him and entering the bathroom, turning on the shower and unequipping his clothing, stepping underneath the hot water.

Now was the time to react to the notifications he’d received, the boxes having been floating in his periphery since before Blake had woken up. He’d been preoccupied, of course, with the unconscious girl, but now he had time to himself.

** [Quest Complete!] **

** [ ** _** Bodyguard; Forever Fall. ** _ ** ] **

** [Protect the mysterious girl, who got knocked unconscious due to your bumbling!] **

** [Reward: 1000 XP, 100 Lien] **

** [Level Up!] **

** [You are now Level 3!] **

** [+5 Skill Points!] **

** [Ding!] **

** [Due to constant physical exertion, you’ve gained 1 point of STR and 1 point of END!] **

He was Level 3 now, already increasing, and he had another 5 skill points available. And to think, he hadn’t even used his first five. He’d honestly forgotten about them, overwhelmed as he was with the massive amount of information the System had presented him, but now he could look into them, and see what all the proverbial fuss was about.

** [Skill Points!] **

** [Skill Points are single use points that can be consumed to provide a single point towards any stat. Each level earns you 5 Skill Points!] **

Useful things, then. Although…

“Stats,” Jaune said over the sound of running water.

** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: Huntsman Initiate] **

** [Level: 3] **

** [XP: 245/3000] **

** [HP: 170/170 (0.85/s)] **

** [SP: 170/170 (3.4/s)] **

** [MP: 140/140 (1.3/s)] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

** [STR: 16] **

** [END: 17] **

** [AGI: 12] **

** [INT: 14] **

** [WIS: 13] **

** [CHA: 11] **

** [LCK: 10] **

** [Skill Points: 10] **

** [Lien: 185] **

It was harder to level up to level 4. Meaning it was harder to get more skill points. Should he save them, like some kind of rainy day fund for boosted stats? Or should he spend them now?

Questions, questions. He didn’t really have a definite answer, so for now he would put it off, and give it some thought at another time. Most probably the next time he leveled up, if he were to guess.

Surprisingly, the notifications ended just as quickly as they had appeared, and whilst Jaune wasn’t complaining, it wasn’t anything to take an overly long shower for, so he cut the water supply once he was finished with the usual shower business, stepping out and towelling himself off, before attacking the bed with an effortless belly-flop, smacking against the mattress with a content groan of satisfied exhaustion.

Jaune couldn’t complain about the day, that was for certain. He’d killed a bunch of Grimm, leveled up, completed a quest and saved a life.

All in a day’s work for Jaune Arc, the teen with the semblance of the System.

* * *

  


** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: Huntsman Initiate] **

** [Level: 3] **

** [XP: 245/3000] **

** [HP: 170/170 (0.85/s)] **

** [SP: 170/170 (3.4/s)] **

** [MP: 140/140 (1.3/s)] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

** [STR: 16] **

** [END: 17] **

** [AGI: 12] **

** [INT: 14] **

** [WIS: 13] **

** [CHA: 11] **

** [LCK: 10] **

** [Skill Points: 10] **

** [Lien: 185] **

* * *

  


  
  
  



	4. Mechanical Menaces

* * *

  


The sun broke its way out of the horizon, the prison holding it simply ceasing to resist as it crested, bringing with it the morning.

Jaune woke, and was busying himself with getting ready.

Today was Beacon’s application day, and without any kind of documents Jaune was going to have to prove that he was a capable fighter who’d trained enough to be at the same level as the other applicants.

He wasn’t as nervous as he’d expected to be, were he to be honest. Instead, he felt more excited than anything else, and in his head he was running through all the things he could do to prove that he was in fact capable of being a Beacon student.

Jaune gave the room a once over another time, making sure he’d left nothing behind, before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

A sigh caught his attention as he turned to face the black-haired figure with the purple bow trying to not make eye-contact, the girl in the process of closing her door.

“Hey Blake!” Jaune said, a grin on his face.

Blake was far more subdued in her response, however. “Hello.”

“So, you feeling better?” Jaune asked.

Blake nodded, before resolving herself. “Thank you, for helping me yesterday,” she said, quietly.

“Hey, it was no problem. You needed help, so I helped out. Nothing more to it,” Jaune said with a smile as he began following the rapid pace the raven-haired girl was setting. “So, are you headed to apply for Beacon?”

Blake didn’t reply verbally, instead a single nod of her head that Jaune almost missed.

“Well, I’ll tag along with you, I’m going to apply too!” Jaune exclaimed.

“I remember,” Blake replied dryly, doing her best to not appear to have any kind of emotions.

“So, how do we actually get to Beacon?” Jaune asked.

Blake stopped, a dead-stare leveling at the blond boy. “You don’t know?”

“I have no idea,” Jaune replied succinctly.

Blake sighed. It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

  


It wasn’t that Jaune didn’t know where Beacon was. The Hunter academy was pretty hard to miss from Vale, were a gaze to stray east.

Even now, Beacon’s spires towered over the distance, as Blake and Jaune made their way towards the shuttle dock that would take them from Vale to Beacon.

The sun glistened over the top of the distant peaks of the academy, and Jaune eyed his surroundings as he followed Blake, the amber-eyed girl’s vision constantly flickering from one person to another, rather obviously paranoid.

“Hey Blake, something wrong?” Jaune asked, quickly pacing to catch up with her.

“Nothing. I’m fine,” Blake replied with a fair bit of heat, and Jaune quickly recoiled his offer of talking about whatever was bothering her before he even tried.

“You don’t sound fine, Blake,” Jaune said, a concerned look on his face.

The amber glare that was leveled his way made him cower. “We are not friends. You helped me, thank you for that, but that doesn’t make us anything along the lines of anything but strangers.”

Jaune waited a beat, before replying. “My mother says strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet.”

Blake stared at him nonplussed.

Jaune didn’t really have anything with which to follow that statement up, so he simply stayed silent, something Blake was internally very pleased with.

The two remained silent as they reached the shuttle dock, and remained silent as the Bullhead took them up to Beacon, along with a few other people.

They even remained silent as they landed, departed and listened as a person spoke, one who looked important enough to listen to.

“Those of you here are here to prove your academic prowess to attend Beacon without prior documentation. Follow me.”

Jaune did so, as did Blake, and the rest of the crowd.

“This is one of Beacon’s training arenas. Here you will be fighting against training robots, provided by the Atlesian Military as a part of their self-learning combat programming. You will face off against waves of training robots, with each wave getting progressively more difficult the further along you get. The higher wave you reach, the more likely you are to be considered for enrollment. Please write down your full names, and you will be drawn and called once it is your turn to enter the ring. Once you have written down your name, please take a seat in the spectator stands.”

Jaune wrote down his name, and walked over to the spectator seating, taking one such seat and turning to see Blake mysteriously absent.

He looked around, but she was already on the other side of the field, obviously trying to get away from him.

He wasn’t so dense as to not realise, but he let it be. The girl was probably nervous, seeing as her fight with the Ursa in the Forever Fall hadn’t gone so well.

Once everyone was seated, the first name was called, and it wasn’t Jaune, nor was it Blake, but Jaune paid attention all the same, interested to see what kind of robots it was he would be fighting, whenever his turn came around.

The figure down in the arena, a guy wearing simple leather armor and wielding a rifle with a bayonet attached, waited patiently.

He didn’t have to wait long as the walls beneath the spectating ring opened up, and he was surrounded by four robots.

“Observe,” Jaune muttered under his breath, staring at one such robot.

** [Atlesian Knight-130 (AK-130)] **

** [Robot, Level 1] **

** [Health: Undamaged] **

Level 1, huh. He could fight level ones, he’d been doing that for a few days now. Although starting with four was challenging.

“Begin!” The voice called, and the boy shot forward, embedding the blade of his bayonet into the dark grey chest of the robot, the eerie glowing red lights that emitted from it shutting off as the boy squeezed the trigger, his rifle bucking with the recoil and sending him into a spin, where he promptly decapitated the second.

The third and fourth robots were already in action, however, and as the boy tried to strike the third he was struck by a burst of gunfire from the fourth, his Aura flickering as he was struck.

The boy wasn’t done, however, as he leveled his rifle and pulled the trigger, rounds spitting out the barrel and impacting against the third robot, dust rounds punching through grey steel plating and disabling the robot, red lights flickering as it shut down.

The fourth robot leapt forwards with blades protruding from its arms, slashing down at the unprotected boy’s flank.

Aura flickered, crackled and the boy stumbled backwards, the robot reaching for another strike before its lights simply ceased, the robot folding over and sheathing its weapons.

“End of fight! Your aura has reached the red, and you have defeated three of the training robots. Next person, get ready!”

Jaune watched as the robot reactivated itself, dragging the disabled corpses of its brethren back into where they’d come from.

The next name was called.

There were plenty more people left to test, and as Jaune looked around, it looked like it would be a while.

He just hoped he’d be able to pass.

** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Huntsman: First Steps (Part 2). ** _ ** ] **

** [Successfully complete the Beacon Acceptance Exam.] **

** [Reward: Accepted into Beacon Academy, 800 XP] **

“Jaune Arc!” The voice called out, and Jaune snapped too, looking around as his mind reconnected with his body.

Jaune quickly stepped over to the stairs, climbing down with a sense of both excitement and trepidation.

Once inside the arena he unsheathed Crocea Mors, the blade glinting in the artificial light as he deployed the shield, the audible kerchunk echoing across the mostly empty stands.

Four robots walked out, stepping through the doors and into the arena. Jaune swapped his gaze from one to the other.

** [You have entered a training area! Kills whilst inside training areas will not net you any XP towards next level, but will still net you XP for skills.] **

Jaune ‘huh’-ed in surprise, but quickly refocused his attention.

“Begin!” The voice called, and Jaune moved.

Shield up, Jaune charged the first robot, bashing it with the solid plate, before a quick slash entered at the shoulder and cleaved down into the chest.

He wrenched the blade out as he rotated, the three AK-130s approaching from what was now his front.

It wasn’t time yet to reveal any of his tricks, so he had to rely on solid skill, and by solid skill what Jaune meant was the skill the System had provided him with, so as the robots both peppered his shield with bullets and charged forwards blades deployed, he reacted in the way that felt most natural.

From behind his shield Jaune felt the impact of the robot’s blades, and he quickly flickered his blade out, stabbing the AK-130 in the midsection and disabling it.

These things were startlingly easy to destroy, and as Jaune felt the peppering of bullets impacting against his shield he swung, sword shining as it sliced through air and metal, destroying the third robot with ease.

The fourth switched from the constant barrage to sharp blades, and as it pushed in Jaune met it with his shield, pushing it back and stabbing, catching it in the side and causing chunks of metal to hit the ground.

The robot took another step forward. Another step followed the first, and Jaune buried Crocea Mors into its head, the robot faltering and falling.

“Wave one complete!” The voice called, and Jaune panted, breath coming fast and short.

Adrenaline was one hell of a drug after all.

“Wave two, begin!” The voice called once more, and Jaune shrugged off what fatigue he felt, readying himself once more.

* * *

  


“Wave five, begin!”

Exhaustion was hitting Jaune like a stolen freight train, and he was barely able to block the heavy impact of two AK-130s, sparks flying as blades ground against shield.

Jaune was yet to take a hit, though, which was good news, but even then he was still exhausted, barely able to hold the shield up.

The robots were dodging every strike he made, and even as he rolled to the side to avoid a blow he felt one of the grey machinations deliver a sharp stab to his back.

He checked his meters as he backed up.

** [Jaune Arc|Lv3] **

** [XP: 245/3000] **

** [HP: 113/170 (0.85/s)] **

** [SP: 56/170 (3.4/s)] **

** [MP: 140/140 (1.3/s)] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

Now. Now was the time to pull out a trick or two, or he was going to be in big trouble.

The four robots stared at him, an inhuman intensity on what could only be called a face, which was really just a giant camera. Or so he assumed, anyways.

Jaune wasn’t really the biggest expert on Atlesian military robots.

His attention returned to the fight as the robots pushed forwards.

Jaune stabbed Crocea Mors into the ground, blade first, and outstretched his hand, arcane energy forming in his palm, and he released it, the mana bolt trailing across the arena and into the chest of one of the robots, blasting a hole in the side of its chest.

Jaune blocked an attack with his shield, a second mana bolt forming in his hand as he did so, the attacker losing its head to it.

He wasn’t fast enough, however, as a strike knocked his shield, and shield arm, to the side, leaving him open for the other robot to attack from his other flank.

A sharp blade entered his side, and he felt the pain of it as it struck, knocking him to the ground.

Good news, the System made it so the wound only existed in numerical form.

Bad news, he’d lost his shield in the tumble, and Crocea Mors was still buried into the tile back where he had been standing.

Jaune, now only armed with only spells, faced down the two mechs.

They both slowly moved towards Jaune, blades deployed, menacing lights shining brightly.

There was really only one thing Jaune could do, but he had no idea if it would work or not.

Both arms came up, fingers splayed, and he willed mana into each.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Dual Mana Bolt (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now manifest a Mana Bolt in each hand, for twice the mana cost. XP and Level are the same as Mana Bolt, and gain whenever Mana Bolt is used, and vice versa.  _ _** Level 1; XP 17/100. ** _ ** ] **

Two mana bolts left his fingertips, and impacted against the chest of the first and the shoulder of the second, carving chunks out of them.

That was a close one, Jaune thought, panting as he hunched over, out of breath. He checked his meters as he regained his breath, and regained his armament.

** [Jaune Arc|Lv3] **

** [XP: 245/3000] **

** [HP: 74/170 (0.85/s)] **

** [SP: 67/170 (3.4/s)] **

** [MP: 44/140 (1.3/s)] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

So, he was down almost a hundred mana from the four shots he’d fired, which did make sense.

He spun his sword in his hand.

Jaune felt  _ Sixth Sense _ trigger, and he rolled to the side, as sparks flew off the tiles behind him.

‘ _ A fifth robot?’  _ Jaune thought in surprise as he lifted his shield to block the strike, staggering under the impact.

Jaune buckled far more than before, the robot seemingly able to deliver far more powerful strikes.

Jaune observed it, as it closed in on him.

** [Atlesian Knight-130 (AK-130)] **

** [Sergeant] **

** [Robot, Level 1] **

** [Health: Undamaged] **

What Sergeant meant was lost on Jaune as it struck again, blades hammering down on his shield once more.

Jaune took another blow with his shield, and swung Crocea Mors at the robot, which blocked the strike with its blades, before quickly swinging at him.

Jaune, without the time to bring his shield to bear, held the handle of Crocea Mors as best he could as the AK-130s blades impacted against his blade, sending Jaune back, wrist aching for a split second before  _ System Body  _ nullified it.

Jaune needed an edge over this thing, or so the boy thought, as it continued to swing its blades, one after another impacting against Jaune’s shield and knocking him back ever so slightly.

A quick glance at his meters told him he had fifty mana to work with, and so even as Jaune blocked yet another attack with his shield, he planned.

First, Jaune had to see what he could do with a Mana Bolt. Sheathing Crocea Mors into the top of his shield, Jaune used his free hand to congeal mana, forming a Mana Bolt.

The robot struck again, but once the attack was finished Jaune outstretched his hand and fired the Mana Bolt, the arcane energy streaming off and impacting against the far wall of the arena, the robot having avoided it completely.

That was bad.

Now Jaune only had twenty-five mana to work with, and it seemed that he wasn’t going to be able to hit the robot with a simple Mana Bolt.

All of his spells, aside from Mana Bolt, cost more than twenty-five mana, and with his regen rate Jaune wasn’t going to be able to buy time, especially at this rate.

The robot attacked once again, and Jaune felt himself be forced to one knee, shield arm aching, ceasing to ache, and aching again in a continuous loop of pain.

He couldn’t keep this up, and with a roar he pushed himself up and forwards.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Battle Cry (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can perform a battle cry, which increases morale in all friendlies, decreases morale in all hostiles, and allows you to dip into the negative for SP, MP and AP, at the cost of HP and exhaustion[?].  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

Jaune paid the notification no mind as he focused mana, swinging his blade at the robot in his last-ditch attempt to kill the mechanical threat.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Slash (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now manifest mana into a bladed weapon, unleashing it in a slash that can hit enemies at short range. Consumes 60 MP per cast, length of slash is dependent of length of blade.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

The arcane energy that burst forth from the blade of Crocea Mors carried across the arena, effectively bisecting the robot, but Jaune barely paid attention, down on one knee and panting.

** [Training Encounter Complete!] **

** [You gained 140 Skill XP!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Weapon Proficiency: One-Handed Melee ** _ ** has reached level 4!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Weapon Proficiency: Shield ** _ ** has reached level 4!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Shield Bash ** _ ** has reached level 2!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Mana Bolt ** _ ** has reached level 2!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Dodge ** _ ** has reached level 3!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Dual Mana Bolt ** _ ** has reached level 2!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Battle Cry ** _ ** has reached level 2!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Mana Slash ** _ ** has reached level 2!] **

** [Ding!] **

** [Due to constant physical exertion, you’ve gained 1 point of STR, and 1 point of END!] **

“Wave six complete! End of fight, your aura has reached the red! Next person, get ready!”

Jaune blinked as he stood to leave, only just noticing what had to be the biggest glaring thing he hadn’t even noticed, let alone thought about.

‘ _ Aura? But I don’t have AP…’ _ Jaune thought, bringing up his meters.

** [Jaune Arc|Lv3] **

** [XP: 245/3000] **

** [HP: 35/162 (0.81/s)  ** _** {35/180 (0.9/s)} ** _ ** ] **

** [SP: 93/162 (3.24/s)  ** _** {93/180 (3.6/s)} ** _ ** ] **

** [MP: 0/126 (1.17/s)  ** _** {0/140 (1.3/s)} ** _ ** ] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

** [Exhausted I] **

Exhausted was new, something that Jaune noticed, and as he left the arena he reread his way back through all the notifications that had appeared during the final part of his fight.

Jaune read the description of  _ Battle Cry _ , and clicked the small question mark on exhaustion.

** [Exhaustion] **

** [Exhaustion is a status effect that can be inflicted, causing a temporary loss of all Stats. Each level of Exhaustion equals to -10% of a Stat. Exhaustion resets upon a full rest.] **

Well, that wasn’t great. At least it wasn’t too hard to get rid of, considering Jaune felt like he was capable of falling asleep where he stood.

He was getting distracted though, now wasn’t the time to be focusing on status effects and debuffs, now was the time to be focusing on exactly why the machine designed specifically to detect, measure and output Aura values was detecting that he had Aura, and able to detect when he went into the red, despite not actually having anything to go into the red.

Jaune pondered it, rolling the thoughts and potential explanations around his head like a lottery wheel, hoping he’d get lucky and end up with the right answer.

Astronomical odds seemed to favour the blond boy as the answer occurred to him. Before the Exhaustion debuff, ten percent of his health was thirty-four HP. He’d slipped beneath that threshold when he used the combination of  _ Battle Cry  _ and  _ Mana Slash _ , which meant that his HP was being read as Aura by the devices that measured such things.

Whatever that meant, he was sure that that was more significant than simply allowing him to bypass such devices.

He knew he wasn’t even close to figuring out how that worked, and he was far too tired to even try to delve deeper into the issue, so he tabled it for further thought at a later time.

Jaune plopped down into an empty seat, the one he’d been sat in before, allowing himself to simply slump down, as he kept an eye on his meters, watching them slowly but surely fill back up.

SP was, unsurprisingly, the first to fill, followed by MP and then finally HP, the three bars, green, blue and red respectively, glowing slightly brighter than the screen itself.

“Blake Belladonna!” The voice called out, and Jaune snapped his eyes off his meters and towards the mysterious girl, who stood from her seat on the opposite side of the arena, putting the book she’d gotten from somewhere onto the bench.

Jaune would be lying if he wasn’t a little worried about how well Blake would do. He’d seen her fight two Ursa, and they’d knocked her unconscious, so watching her go up against four enemies at once…

He wanted to remain positive though, so he shoved the negative, critical side of him to the edge, content to cheer his new friend on.

Blake deftly stepped inside the arena, drawing her weapon. Now that Jaune saw it, he was interested. He couldn’t even begin to describe what it was, so he figured maybe the System would have a more informational opinion on it.

‘ _ Observe’ _ , Jaune thought, and he was rewarded with the exact details he was looking for.

** [Gambol Shroud] **

** [Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe (VBCS)] **

** [Gambol Shroud is a very convoluted weapon requiring immense training to effectively wield. A combination of a katana, cleaver, pistol and kusarigama, this weapon is incredibly specialised and even more deadly.] **

** [+ 5 AGI] **

“Woah…” Jaune murmured aloud. He’d never even heard of half of those words, especially never used in succession like that.

“Begin!” The voice called out.

Blake launched forwards without a sound, spinning as the thick cleaver of Gambol Shroud impacted against the first robot and, coincidentally, cleaved straight through. She didn’t wait to see the results, instead already moving and striking the second robot.

The other two had enough time to deploy their weapons, blades sliding from where hands were as they were systematically decapitated.

The voice that had been announcing the event didn’t even get a chance to say anything as the second wave deployed, weapons already at the ready, robots charging forwards in an attempt to actually land a hit on the raven-haired fighter.

She was already off, blade spinning as she deflected the barrage that the robot she was targeting was outputting, a quick slide underneath a half-hearted swipe and a fast hand movement leaving the robot in pieces and Blake standing there, katana in one hand and what seemed to be the cleaver in the other, which seemed to serve as the sheath.

The System hadn’t been kidding when it said Gambol Shroud was a complicated, specialised weapon.

Blake quickly and easily dispatched the rest of the robots, and the third wave quickly afterwards, in the same amount of time as it took Jaune to destroy the entire first wave.

The fourth wave proved to be at least slightly more challenging as Blake was swarmed quickly, blades swiping back and forth in an attempt to actually hit her.

One managed to get close, and Jaune felt himself on the edge of his seat as the blade went through her back, piercing her front.

A gasp began to leave his lips, but Blake simply disappeared, her blade landing in the attacking robot’s head from behind.

Choking back the gasp, Jaune watched in amazement as Blake quickly dispatched every single AK-130 that was sent her way, and soon enough wave thirteen had rolled around and Blake was still going strong.

She destroyed the fourth robot of wave thirteen, and the voice finally spoke up.

“Enough! You pass, Blake Belladonna. Next person, get ready!”

Blake simply sheathed her weapon and returned to her seat, picking up her book and resuming her reading.

Jaune stared, jaw wide, disbelief on his face.

Maybe he’d underestimated her.

* * *

  


The acceptance exams had come to an end, and as the crowd of potential students waited patiently for the results, Jaune was still stuck in somewhat disbelief, the images of Blake’s fight, if you could even call something that one-sided a fight, still stuck in his head, playing again and again like a faulty movie.

“If I call out your name, you have passed, and successfully been enrolled in Beacon Academy,” The announcer called, and Jaune snapped to attention.

Multiple names were called, and Jaune listened intently, trying to remember who had been before him, and who had been after.

“Jaune Arc. Blake Belladonna.”

Two names, the first being unexpected and the second being completely expected.

Jaune was ecstatic, a massive smile on his face.

** [Quest Complete!] **

** [ ** _** Huntsman: First Steps (Part 2). ** _ ** ] **

** [Successfully complete the Beacon Acceptance Exam.] **

** [Reward: Accepted into Beacon Academy, 800 XP] **

This was it. Jaune was in Beacon.

His dream, ever since he was a kid, was to be a hero, and now here he was, fulfilling that dream as best he could.

One step closer.

He looked over to Blake, but she wasn’t where he’d last seen her. In fact, she wasn’t anywhere, the girl seemingly having disappeared.

He’d lost someone to celebrate with, but that wasn’t going to put a damper on the situation, and he figured the best way to celebrate would be to go back to his hotel room and sleep, because he was realising, even as he thought about celebrating he could barely keep his eyes open.

Sleep seemed like such an inviting prospect, too.

* * *

  


“Jaune Arc, hmm?” The man asked, sipping a mug full of an undetermined beverage, steam wafting from the porcelain.

“Yes. He seemed somewhat capable during the acceptance exam, and managed to draw with the final robot of wave five, destroying it at the cost of dropping his aura into the red,” The blonde haired woman said, adjusting her glasses as she referred to the clipboard in her hand.

“How did his Aura reach the red if he destroyed the robot?” The man asked, placing the mug on a coaster on his desk.

“I feel that showing you would be more informative.” The woman placed a scroll in the hands of the man, the screen playing a video of Jaune’s final strike.

The man frowned behind glasses, brown eyes narrowing as he watched.

“As you can see, he seems capable of wielding Aura in ways we’ve not seen before,” The woman said, as the man handed back the scroll.

“That isn’t Aura.”

* * *

  


** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: Huntsman Initiate] **

** [Level: 3] **

** [XP: 1045/3000] **

** [HP: 180/180 (0.9/s)] **

** [SP: 180/180 (3.6/s)] **

** [MP: 140/140 (1.3/s)] **

** [AP: 0/0] **

** [STR: 17] **

** [END: 18] **

** [AGI: 12] **

** [INT: 14] **

** [WIS: 13] **

** [CHA: 11] **

** [LCK: 10] **

** [Skill Points: 10] **

** [Lien: 185] **

  
  


* * *

  


  
  
  



	5. Of Courtyards and Libraries

* * *

  


Morning broke, as it tended to, and Jaune’s eyes opened to the early morning sunlight streaming into his room through the window.

Jaune promptly closed his eyes, a groan accompanying him rolling over and frowning.

A second passed, Jaune slowly slipping back down into unconsciousness.

Jaune snapped his eyes open, stumbling out of his bed and grabbing at his scroll, hurriedly checking the time.

The moment he saw the time the memory of a HUD clock appeared in his mind, and Jaune sighed, sitting down on the bed.

Today was the day. The first day of Beacon Academy.

Jaune was both excited and terrified.

If he were to be completely honest, he felt like that justified an entirely new emotion, so therefore he felt excitified.

Territed?

Neither sounded as good aloud as in his head, and so Jaune pushed the thoughts that were clouding his mind to the side, and set about getting himself ready.

Clean Pumpkin Pete hoodie, clean jeans, gloves, belt, cheap armor, all equipped.

Crocea Mors sheathed and hooked to his belt.

Hair messy and unkempt, but in the kind of way he hoped looked intentional, despite it very much being not at all intentional.

Jaune looked at himself in the mirror, and decided to double check the list he’d just checked, although considering this was the fourth time now it was more of a quadruple check.

Once the check was finished, again, Jaune spared a glance at the time, noting he only had a few minutes to make it to the shuttle bay to catch the airship that students would be catching.

He was out the door in a flash,  _ Sprint _ active as he hurtled down the roads and streets that made up the path he was taking.

A breathless Jaune slid to a halt at the shuttle bay, joining the throngs of new students, some standing alone, some crowded together, some saying farewell to family and friends.

The last one made Jaune feel a little guilty, but he shrugged it off, making his way through the dense mass of teenagers, sliding between gaps in an attempt to get a good spot on the as yet unarrived airship.

He didn’t notice Blake, unfortunately, but if he were to think about it that was probably because she didn’t want to be seen, considering her actions the day prior.

The airship touched down, and what an airship it was. If you compared a Bullhead to a land vehicle you’d end up making the comparison with a bus.

The airship was comparable with an entire street of buses, and it could fly. Before the System this would’ve made Jaune prefer to climb the Beacon cliffs, but now, with his recent immunity to air-sickness, he could only feel excitement as he clambered aboard with the throngs of teenagers, taking a spot near a window so that he could enjoy the view that he was soon to be presented with. If he was lucky he might even be able to spot the outer limits of Domremy.

The takeoff was as smooth as possible, a credit to the pilots, as the only physical feeling as a slight shudder as the engines flared, the airship rising into the morning sky with ease.

Jaune watched out the window, quickly realising that he was on the wrong side of the airship to be able to see Domremy, but it wasn’t too big a loss, because the sight of the ocean was plenty enough to quench his sightseeing thirst.

“The robbery was lead by Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you Lisa.”

The voice blared out of speakers, and Jaune turned to watch as the screen changed from a picture of what was presumably the man in question to someone Jaune was somewhat familiar with, lavender hair pristine as she sat in her chair in front of her desk.

“Thank you Cyril. In other news, this Saturday’s Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organisation has now disrupted-”

Jaune didn’t get to listen to the rest of the bulletin as the screen shut itself off, replaced by a holographic projection of a blonde woman, hands clasped behind her back.

“Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honour of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsman and Huntresses it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world.”

Jaune listened intently, as did every other person aboard the airship, as she spoke, before coming to a startlingly obvious conclusion.

It was pre-recorded. There was no way that woman was able to deliver that entire speech flawlessly without it having already been recorded.

It wasn’t all Jaune had drawn from listening, of course, he wasn’t a moron, but it was what was standing out the most. He didn’t know why that was what he fixated on, but it was what it was.

The view out the window widened as the airship reached its peak altitude, the cliffs of Beacon standing out even more so, alongside much of the surrounding area. If it hadn’t drawn attention before it certainly had now, as people clambered to get a good spot.

Two girls squeezed in not too far from Jaune, and he overheard as they spoke.

“Look, you can see Signal from up here,” The first one, both dressed and themed in black and red. “I guess home isn’t too far after all.”

The second one, gold locks untamed and immense, spoke as she slung an arm around the younger one. “Beacon’s our home now.”

Jaune smiled a small smile, turning away and staring out the window like every other student.

The rest of the flight passed by quick, and soon the airship was pulling up to Beacon’s dock, the vast expanse of deck inside quickly becoming emptier and emptier as people piled out onto the waiting land, eager for their first glance around the campus as official students.

Jaune wasn’t an exception, and despite the fact that he was one of the few who’d been here before, even if it was for a short time, he was still restless with anticipation at what his future held.

He followed the crowd as they made their way down the wide thoroughfare towards the main courtyard, lush gardens lining the path, leaves rustling in the breeze.

Honestly, it was beautiful, and Jaune hadn’t really admired the scenery the previous day, to worried about his attempt at the acceptance exam.

Now, though, he had time to gaze, admiring the seemingly infinite marble arches and pillars that comprised a majority of Beacon’s architecture.

Of course, the serene peace couldn’t last forever, as Jaune heard a cacophonous explosion.

A quick turn had Jaune notice a girl in white wandering off in anger, the tail-end of Blake as she vanished into the crowd, and the red and black themed girl from earlier on the airship, laying on the ground.

He walked over and offered a hand to the girl.

“I’m Jaune.” He said, introducing himself as he helped her up.

“Ruby…” She said, taking his hand and clambering back to her feet.

“How’d you end up on the floor in a crater?” Jaune asked, confusion evident on his face.

“The explosion was an accident!” The girl, Ruby, exclaimed.

Jaune chuckled slightly as the two began walking, eager to catch up with the now absent horde of teenagers.

The silence, because neither party seemed to be skilled at carrying a conversation, stretched on for too long, or at least too long in the opinion of Ruby.

“So… I got this thing,” Ruby said, reaching behind her and drawing out a weapon of some description, red and black much like herself.

The some description part of the weapon was suddenly illuminated as it unfolded, revealing what could only be feasibly called severe overkill.

“Woah!” Jaune exclaimed, stumbling out of the way as the blade of the weapon hammered into the ground. “Is that a scythe?”

“It’s also a customizable, high impact sniper rifle,” Ruby replied.

“A wha?” Jaune asked, a little out of his depth.

“It’s also a gun.”

“Huh.” Jaune uttered a sound of both confusion and understanding, the paradoxical nature seeming to only further confuse him. He did, however, think it was pretty damn cool, and as such made that apparent. “That’s cool!”

“What about you?” Ruby asked, eyeing the sheath on his hip.

“Oh, uh, I got this sword,” Jaune said, drawing Crocea Mors from the sheath that was also called Crocea Mors.

“Ooh,” Ruby ooh-ed.

“Yeah, I’ve got a shield too,” Jaune continued, hooking the sheath on his forearm and deploying its shield form.

“So, what do they do?” Ruby asked, interested.

“The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it I can just put it away,” Jaune answered.

“But… wouldn’t it weigh the same?” Ruby asked.

Jaune sighed. “Yeah.”

“Well, I’m kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, I guess I did go a little overboard in designing it,” Ruby said, admiring her own handiwork, sending a gentle caress down the barrel.

“Wait, you made that?” Jaune exclaimed, shock and awe as apparent in his voice as in his mind.

“Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn’t you make yours?”

Jaune looked at the blade he held in his hand, a slight sigh escaping his lips. “It’s a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war. Besides, I didn’t go to Signal, I came from a small town out near the border, Domremy. I passed the acceptance exam.”

“Oh. Well, it sounds more like a family heirloom to me,” Ruby said. “Well, I like it. Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days.”

“Yeah, the classics,” Jaune said, perking up a little.

“So, why’d you help me out back there, in the courtyard?” Ruby asked.

“Eh, why not. My mum always says, strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet,” Jaune replied, as the two began walking again.

“So, where are we going?” Ruby queried.

“Oh, I don’t know, I was following you,” Jaune answered, scratching the back of his head.

The unasked question of where they were supposed to go was answered rather rapidly as the heard an announcement blare over speakers.

“All new students, please head to the main assembly hall.”

“Well, that answers that, I guess,” Jaune said, discreetly checking his map. Beacon had been somewhat mapped out, and the main assembly hall was marked with a little blue dot. “This way, I think.”

The two began walking, pavement underfoot as they made their way to the first assembly of their Hunter-in-training careers.

* * *

  


“Ruby, over here! I saved you a spot!”

Both Jaune and Ruby looked over to where the blonde girl from the airship was stood, waving at Ruby.

“Oh, hey, I’ve gotta go, I’ll see you after the ceremony!” Ruby said, rushing off to join the blonde.

Jaune just nodded, wandering over to the side and finding a comfortable spot to stand and wait for whatever staff member felt like addressing them.

Jaune didn’t have to wait long.

The clearing of a throat sounded across the hall, and almost everyone snapped their heads to attention, silence descending faster than Jaune’s father for breakfast.

“I’ll… keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step.”

The man, green clothed, finished his speech, and for a second Jaune could’ve sworn locked eyes with him, but only for a brief moment.

The woman, who Jaune remembered to be Glynda Goodwitch, stepped up to the mic as the man walked off the stage.

“You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed.”

Jaune watched as people filtered out, breaking off into groups to explore the campus.

The man, presumably the headmaster, had stared right at him. He had to have, there was no other explanation.

Did he know about the System?

Did it even matter if he did?

Jaune wasn’t sure if hiding the System was the right idea or not, but the way the man had stared at him sent chills down his spine. It was like the man knew, and disliked him for it.

Or maybe the man didn’t know and he’d just done something to rub him the wrong way.

What Jaune should’ve done was  _ Observe _ the man. That would’ve been a smart decision, but Jaune had been distracted by what was possibly the worst sounding motivational speech he’d ever heard.

The crowd of students was almost non-existent now, and Jaune decided that mapping the campus was probably a smart idea.

He did have a few hours to kill, after all.

* * *

  


** [Map Updated!] **

** [Beacon Campus Grounds added to Map] **

Jaune had been wandering around for at least an hour by now, and despite the fact that the time he had to be in the ballroom was still a little while away, Jaune was out of ideas.

Maybe he could head back to the gym he’d spotted and work on gaining some STR and END, or he could find a nice book in the library and give it a read, hoping it would boost his INT, which he was in desperate need of.

Jaune pondered for a moment, considering his options, and made a decision, rounding a corner and walking towards the library.

The library was a big building with architecture to match the rest of Beacon, although the inside felt much smaller due to the thousands upon thousands of books that littered the shelves that reached up, almost to the ceiling.

Stepping through the door Jaune was greeted by pleasant air-conditioning and the almost silent sounds of people reading, various students engaged in study.

Jaune knew that whilst the semester started a week earlier for students who were already enrolled, the new first-years, like him, started today.

He noticed a few fellow first-years, engaged in whispered conversation, clustered in various chairs and corners. He didn’t join them, however, instead walking into the maze of bookshelves that coated the library, eyes glancing over titles.

He was looking for something specific, something that might explain what the System was, or at least explain Semblances in general.

Alphabetically sorted books glared out at him as he passed them by, reaching the section labeled ‘S’, which he began searching through, title after title proving to be less useful than he’d hoped.

“Ah-ha!” Jaune exclaimed quietly as he drew a book from the bookshelf, looking over the cover. “Semblances and the Soul, this looks like it might help.”

He retreated from the bookshelves, finding a quiet spot where he took a seat, flicking open to the first page.

‘What is a Semblance, and how does the soul affect it? A Semblance is the manifestation of one's innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from user to user. That’s a lot of words that sound all professional, but seeing as the target audience for this book is someone who doesn’t study Aura and Semblances for a living allow me to give you a better understanding. A Semblance is a power that is unique to an individual with an active Aura. There are extenuating circumstances for certain semblances, such as the inherited glyphs of the Schnee family, but Semblances like these are far and few between.’

Jaune read the passage, and read it again, before moving onto the next.

‘Semblances have few limits, and are capable of completely rewriting the way a body works in some instances. However, one major limit is that a Semblance requires Aura to use, and as such requires a person’s Aura to be unlocked. Without Aura, there is no Semblance to be had, because the soul is locked behind Aura.’

Jaune put the book down, face paling.

What had the System told him when he’d first woken up?

His Aura had been locked temporarily?

So, his Semblance, the System, wasn’t really a Semblance at all? Or was the book wrong?

How would he unlock his Aura if it had been locked by the System?

The answer came in a swift notification.

** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Unlocking the Soul ** _ ** ] **

** [Unlock your Aura by focusing inwards, and awakening your soul from within] **

** [Reward: 500 XP, Aura Unlocked] **

Focus inwards, huh. It wasn’t the clearest explanation, but Jaune figured he might as well give it a try.

He concentrated, closing his eyes and plunging his mind deep into a state of focus.

A moment passed, a second moment, but there was nothing. No feeling of power, no soul, whatever that felt like, nothing.

He didn’t even know what he was supposed to be looking for. Granted, he didn’t know much about Aura to begin with, so maybe that would be a better starting point.

Standing up, Jaune paced back towards the bookshelves, luckily not having to delve too deep to get to the ‘A’ section, considering it was the first letter in the alphabet and all that. He searched through title after title, finally stopping upon a book simply entitled ‘Aura’. That was promising.

He withdrew it from the shelf, and walked back to his seat, sitting down and opening the book.

There was nothing inside.

Jaune frowned, turning the page. Also blank.

Third page blank, fourth page blank.

Fifth, sixth, seventh; blank, blank and blank.

Jaune opened a random page in the middle of the book.

Blank.

“Huh.”

Jaune wondered if he’d just pulled out a book designed to trick people, but he gave it the benefit of the doubt, quickly using  _ Observe _ .

** [Skill Book] **

** [Aura Control] **

** [Consume: Yes/No] **

Oh.  _ Oh. _

A skill book. That made slightly more sense, although what a skill book was doing being completely blank was odd. What if someone else tried to read it, would the System give them the skill?

No, that was silly. The System was his Semblance, it couldn’t effect other people, that would be ridiculous. It just effected him. And Grimm. And books, and food, and keys, and reality itself to give him an inventory…

Jaune filed those thoughts away for later in favour of using the skill book.

He tapped yes, and watched as the book glowed a light blue. His eyes closed as he felt something foreign enter his mind, and he felt the onset of a headache appear and be nullified by the combo of  _ System Mind  _ and  _ System Body. _

** [Skill Learned!] **

** [ ** _** Aura Control (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you have unlocked your Aura, and now can control and wield it. _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

** [Aura now unlocked!] **

** [Quest Complete!] **

** [ ** _** Unlocking the Soul ** _ ** ] **

** [Unlock your Aura by focusing inwards, and awakening your soul from within] **

** [Reward: 500 XP, Aura Unlocked] **

** [Perk Unlocked] **

** [Lineage of the Arcs] **

** [Total AP x4] **

That was a lot of information to process, and process it Jaune would, as soon as the surge of power he was feeling receded.

He decided now was probably a good time to take a look at his meters.

** [Jaune Arc|Lv3] **

** [XP: 1545/3000] **

** [HP: 180/180 (0.9/s)] **

** [SP: 180/180 (3.6/s)] **

** [MP: 140/140 (1.3/s)] **

** [AP: 1440/1440 (0.36/s)] **

Woah. No wonder he felt so good, his Aura was massive! Or, he thought it was massive. He’d unlocked a perk that quadrupled his Aura, so maybe he was stronger than most. Or at least, more Aura-ed. Aurified?

Now Jaune tried focusing inwards, and this time it was so much more different than the first time he’d tried. Now, he could feel his Aura, flowing through his veins like so much blood, and he felt alive.

He lifted a palm, and concentrated, and watched as a glowing white light enveloped his hand, shining brightly and distracting the other library patrons.

Jaune cut off the Aura with a wince, a muttered apology and a scratch of the back of his head, as he decided to return the books he’d taken, depositing them back where he’d found them and heading out of the library, bent on finding a peaceful spot near a courtyard where he could practise and test his newfound Aura.

This wasn’t too difficult, as there weren’t that many students lingering around, and the ones who were were first-years, and far too excited to be paying him any attention, which suited him just fine for now.

He planted himself amongst the flora, and concentrated once more, willing his Aura to coat his hand, and it responded with ease, flowing around like a protective bubble of energy.

He knew people used Aura to protect themselves, like some kind of force-field, but he didn’t know how it was done, nor did he know how to make it instinctual much like every other first-year obviously did, but he had some time to kill, a new thing to experiment with, and determination.

Lots and lots of determination.

Almost too much.

Well, not too much, he didn’t think there was such a thing as too much determination, but he had enough determination to make what he wanted to happen happen.

He focused, and willed his Aura to travel down his arm, and, sure enough, it did as he bid, however lethargically.

It reached his shoulder, and he moved his arm. Aura didn’t seem to impede his motion, which was good. He willed it to cover his torso, and slowly, very slowly, it crawled across, reaching his other shoulder and hips.

He willed it to continue, and it did so, ever so slowly running across the rest of his body like a carpet of glowing power given life.

If Jaune saw himself he would realise he looked a little bit silly, a teen sitting on some grass covered head to toe in glowing white light, but he wasn’t capable of out-of-body experiences yet, so he didn’t realise that he looked just the slightest bit odd.

Ruby, however, did notice him, as did the blonde girl. “Hey Jaune!”

Jaune snapped his head towards the sound, and felt his Aura slip from his grasp, receding across his body and back inside, the glow fading away like dying embers.

“Oh, hey there Ruby,” Jaune greeted, waving to the girl.

“Oh, Jaune, this is my older sister, Yang,” Ruby said, motioning to the blonde girl. “Yang, this is Jaune, my first friend at Beacon.”

Jaune waved a greeting at Yang, who smiled at him. “So, Ruby, we haven’t even been here for a whole day and you’re already getting to know boys, huh?”

Ruby turned a shade reminiscent of her name, spluttering at her sister.

Jaune, however, laughed, and at this Yang quirked an eyebrow.

“So, Jaune, what were you doing with your Aura?” Ruby said, once her face had returned to the normal pallor.

“Um, I was just exercising it, that’s all,” Jaune replied, scratching at the back of his head.

“Right, well, Yang and I were just heading to go secure a spot in the ballroom. Wanna tag along?” Ruby asked, a smile on her face.

Jaune stood up, dusting himself off and nodding in agreement. “Sure thing.”

He joined the two girls in walking towards the ballroom, joining in the conversation whenever he felt necessary, which usually meant him being the butt of Yang’s various jokes, or groaning alongside Ruby whenever she made a terrible pun.

And honestly, if Jaune were to say so, he was happy, even if deep down guilt was eating away at him.

He’d lied to his family, and put himself in a dangerous situation to fulfill a dream that he’d had since he was a child.

It was selfish, and yet somehow selfless. He didn’t want to be a hero because of the fame and glory, he wanted to be a hero to help people. That made it a little better, didn’t it?

Even as he clambered into his sleeping bag not so far away from where the girls had claimed their spots, having luckily remembered to not put on the onesie and instead toss on a pair of sweats he’d brought from home, his mind was filled with conflicting feelings of pride and guilt.

Even as he closed his eyes, the lights went out, and silence filled the ballroom, Jaune still felt conflicted.

He felt conflicted all the way up until he drifted unconscious, and then he felt nothing at all.

* * *

  


** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: Huntsman Initiate] **

** [Level: 3] **

** [XP: 1045/3000] **

** [HP: 180/180 (0.9/s)] **

** [SP: 180/180 (3.6/s)] **

** [MP: 140/140 (1.3/s)] **

** [AP: 1440/1440 (0.36/s)] **

** [STR: 17] **

** [END: 18] **

** [AGI: 12] **

** [INT: 14] **

** [WIS: 13] **

** [CHA: 11] **

** [LCK: 10] **

** [Skill Points: 10] **

** [Lien: 115] **

* * *

  


  
  
  



	6. Arachnophobia or Ornithophobia?

* * *

  


Jaune missed his cozy hotel room already.

If he’d thought the ballroom was crowded last night, the amount of people clamouring for the communal bathrooms was certainly enough to change his mind.

Once he finally, after a significant amount of time waiting, managed to actually shower and change, Jaune walked into the locker room, bent on retrieving Crocea Mors and his armor from the locker he’d stored them in, in an attempt to keep up appearances.

There was still that niggling feeling in the back of his mind that said keep the System hidden, and his suspicions were only confirmed when he remembered the way the headmaster had looked at him.

He reached the spot where his locker was, but two girls stood in front of it, conversing.

The first one was short, her snow-white hair done up in an off-center ponytail, and now that Jaune looked at her he noticed that she was the girl that had been with Ruby and Blake when Ruby had exploded.

The second one was almost as tall as he was, long red hair tied up in a ponytail with a bronze circlet that matched her bronze armor.

Jaune thought he recognized her from somewhere, but he couldn’t place it.

He figured he should probably start using  _ Observe  _ more often anyway, so he did so.

** [Weiss Schnee] **

** [Huntress-In-Training, Level 11] **

** [Pyrrha Nikos] **

** [Huntress-In-Training, Level 16] **

Jaune was speechless. That was the highest level he’d seen thus far, and she was even higher than Blake. What was this Pyrrha capable of?

‘ _ Confidence, Jaune, all you need is confidence. Get either of them on a team with you, easy peasy lemon squeezy,’  _ thought Jaune, stepping forward.

“So, I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together?” Weiss said.

“Well, that sounds grand,” Pyrrha replied.

“Great!” Weiss exclaimed, and Jaune figured this was the perfect time to butt in.

“You know who else is great? Me, Jaune Arc, nice to meet you two,” Jaune said, suave as hell in his opinion.

Weiss dead-stared at Jaune, crossing her arms.

“Nice to meet you Jaune,” Pyrrha greeted.

“So, I heard you two talking about teams, and I figured what better place for the two of you then on a team with me,” Jaune ventured, inwardly hoping neither of them saw through his ruse.

“Jaune, is it? Do you happen to know who you’re talking to?” Weiss asked, and Jaune froze for a second.

He knew their names, but they hadn’t told him that yet, so he couldn’t just say that.

“Uh… no?”

“I’m Weiss Schnee, and this is Pyrrha Nikos,” Weiss explained.

“Hello again!” Pyrrha greeted with a wave.

“Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum Academy, as did I in Mantle Academy,” Weiss explained.

“I’ve never heard of either of those places,” Jaune replied.

“She’s won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row, a new record, and I’m the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company!” Weiss exclaimed.

“The what?” Jaune asked, confused.

At this point, Weiss gave up. “She’s on the front of every Pumpkin Pete’s Marshmallow Flakes box!”

Jaune’s eyes lit up in recognition. “That’s you! I knew I remembered you from somewhere! They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!”

“Yeah… It was pretty cool, sadly the cereal isn’t very good for you,” Pyrrha said.

“So, after hearing all of this, do you really think you are in a position to ask either of us to be on your team?” Weiss asked.

“No, I guess not,” Jaune said with a sigh.

“Actually Jaune, I think you’d make a great leader,” Pyrrha offered.

“Oh, stop it,” Jaune said, scratching the back of his head.

“No, seriously, stop it, this kind of behaviour should not be encouraged!” Weiss exclaimed.

“Well, sounds like spots are filling up quick on Team Jaune,” Jaune said, leaning over towards Weiss. “I’m not supposed to do this, but I might be able to pull a few strings, get you a spot, whaddya say?”

Weiss physically recoiled, gesturing to Pyrrha to do something.

Weiss’s pleading was answered as Jaune felt  _ Sixth Sense _ tingle for a split second before the hood of his hoodie was snagged by a red and bronze projectile, nailing him to a far locker.

“I’m sorry!” Came the call from Pyrrha.

“Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation, again, all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff immediately.” The voice was unmistakably Professor Goodwitch’s, and as such the students inside the locker room began filing out.

Pyrrha walked over and withdrew her weapon from both Jaune’s hoodie and the locker behind him. “It was nice meeting you.”

“Likewise,” Jaune groaned, as he slumped to the floor.

“Having some trouble there Ladykiller?”

Jaune looked up to see both Ruby and Yang standing there, Ruby offering a hand.

He gratefully took it, and the girl helped him up.

“C’mon Jaune, let’s get your gear and go,” Ruby said.

The two of them walked towards Jaune’s locker, and he retrieved his equipment.

“When I said immediately, I meant immediately!” Goodwitch’s voice blared over the loudspeaker, and Yang, Ruby and Jaune all paled, picking up speed.

* * *

  


The picturesque beauty of the Beacon Cliffs was only comparable to the amount of wind that it featured, gusting around and blowing Jaune’s hair every-which way it felt like at the time.

It was doing the same to others, and whilst some featured short hair that didn’t bother them, some, like Yang, were suffering a rather significant amount, the blonde occasionally giving off splutters and coughs as hair worked its way inside her mouth and eyes.

Once Jaune focused less on his hair in his face and more on the scenery, he took in the two intimidating figures of the headmaster and Professor Goodwitch, one standing there with a rather passive expression and the other with impatience, respectively.

The other students stood atop metal platforms, all marked with the Beacon Academy logo, and Jaune quickly took a spot, standing upright and straight-backed, hoping his prior posture was the reason the headmaster had disliked him.

It appeared that poor posture was  _ not _ in fact the reason the headmaster disliked him, as the passive gaze that passed over each and every student changed as it passed over Jaune, before reverting back to its previous expression as it left him.

Now was the moment Jaune decided to  _ Observe _ the two members of staff that stood in front of him.

** [Ozpin] **

** [C̨͇͇͑̅̎̒́ͦͮ͡o̠̙̮̰̙̮͙̟̒ͥ̎̍͗̓ͣ́r͍ͤͭ͗͛̍r̴̍̌̾ͫ͘ͅū̱̭̙̬̩̫ͩ̂pͩ͑̇͗̒̏͆ͨ҉҉͚t̸̡͓̗̱̻̠͈̝̹ͨ͐ͤ̓̚e̎̏̍̿̃̎̑҉̜̯̞͉̮̟͍̜̣̕͞d̵̰̪̮̜̂ͯ̽̍͌͗͊͋̕:̙̣̪̩̲͈̓̉̔͗̆̂͑͢͞ ̸̟̬͇͍̲͗̈́R̀ͭͥ̽ͬ̄҉͘͏̩͚̹̜e̸̵̘͖̭̮͍̫ͫͧͫ̔̚͞q̷̯̳͙̦͊̔̈́ũ̸͙̺͕ͫ̿́͝i͉̬̳͔ͮ̔̈̓ͩ͌̃̊͜͟r͍͇̼̯͍̘̫̅̕͠͞ͅe̷̟͚̣͉͙͊ͩͥ̑ͯͮ̂̏͘š̸͈͔͖͎͝ ͓̪̮̭͚̾̍ͤ̃Ṟ̷̛̙̺͕̯̺̙ͥͯ͜ͅe̩̼̳̤̺̜͍ͬ̿͌́͞b̷̹ͩͬo͇̞̺̳̝͗̇̈́ͭ̽͊̌̽͗ô͉͕̳̞t̴̵̮͕ͪ̌́̊ͩ͗] **

** [Glynda Goodwitch] **

** [Vice-Headmistress, Level 43] **

Oh. That wasn’t good. Jaune couldn’t make out any details on Ozpin aside from name.

Either Ozpin was so grossly powerful it broke the System, or something was preventing the System from reading it.

Either option wasn’t great, but Jaune snapped out of staring blankly into air to look at the headmaster, as he began to speak.

“For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest,” Headmaster Ozpin spoke, adding no further explanation.

“Now, I’m sure many of you have heard rumours about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today,” Glynda explained, and Jaune paled.

“These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with which you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years,” Ozpin said, a slight smile on his face.

“What!?” Ruby and Jaune both exclaimed, amongst the shocked gasps and whispers that followed the explanation.

“After you’ve partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way, do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?”

Jaune stared at Ozpin, before speaking up. “Yeah, um, sir?”

“Good, now, take your positions,” Ozpin said, ignoring Jaune completely.

Everyone began taking stances, preparing for something.

“Um, sir, I’ve got a uh, a question?” Jaune ventured a second time.

Weiss was launched off the cliff with grace and poise.

“So, this landing strategy thing, what is it? Are you like, dropping us off, or…?” Jaune asked, despite Ozpin’s seeming lack of attention.

“No. You will be falling,” Ozpin replied, leveling a stare at Jaune which made him feel ten degrees colder.

“Oh, I see… So, did you hand out parachutes for us?” Jaune asked.

“No. You will be using your own landing strategy,” Ozpin replied, and Jaune felt like the temperature had dropped even further.

Jaune watched as Yang, followed by Ruby, were launched off the cliff.

“So, what exactly is a landing strate-”

Jaune’s sentence became a scream as he was launched into the air, flipping end over end in the sky as he sailed away from the cliff.

He continued to scream as he watched the cliff become more and more obscure, although it was less the cliff becoming more obscure and more sky-sky-cliff-ground-ground-sky-sky-cliff as he kept flipping uncontrollably.

** [ ** _** System Mind ** _ ** has triggered, nullifying emotion  ** ‘ _** Terror’ ** _ ** ] **

Jaune felt a sense of calm invade his mind, and his breathing slowed, no longer hyperventilating.

He was still spinning, although he’d reached the highest point of his parabola, and was now plummeting towards the ground with considerable speed.

He needed some kind of landing strategy, that much was obvious, although what he could do wasn’t popping into his head.

Although, why change what worked?

Jaune focused, drawing and directing Mana towards his feet, and stretching his arms up in an attempt to halt his spin, or at least control it somewhat.

It seemed to work, and he leveled off, no longer rotating in a dizzying tumble, but the more pressing problem was rapidly approaching, so he tilted back, plunging feet first towards the ground.

Impact was nearing with every second that passed, and Jaune closed his eyes, hoping for the best.

He touched down feet first, and like a lightning bolt Jaune felt the very air around him be pushed backwards, leaves sent scattering away and tree branches being pushed away.

Alongside the lightning bolt amount of force, with lightning comes thunder, and the cacophonous cracking of Jaune impacting echoed amongst the trees, sending the various wildlife into frantic retreat.

Jaune cracked his eyes open, and the first thing he noticed was a stunned looking Pyrrha, eyes wide as she stared at him, mouth slightly agape.

“Um, hi?”

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Impact (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now direct Mana into your feet, creating a shockwave upon impact. The higher the drop, the bigger the shockwave. Costs 100 MP per cast. _ ** ] **

** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Huntsman: First Steps (Part 3). ** _ ** ] **

** [Successfully survive and complete the Beacon Academy Initiation] **

** [Reward: 2000 XP, 1 Skill Point, 1 Skill Book] **

* * *

  


“Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang, gotta find- whoa!”

Ruby felt a rush of air pressure wash over her, and she looked around in surprise, unable to find an explanation to what she felt.

Then, slightly more explanation reached her as a wave of sound rolled its way throughout the trunks of the forest, deep and bassy.

“Wow, that sounded really cool!” Ruby heard a voice ask, and she turned to where the voice was.

What she was greeted with was the face of someone she hadn’t met before.

Short, ginger-haired, and wearing a remarkable amount of pink were not the first things Ruby noticed. Instead, the first thing she noticed was the giant warhammer.

Two sets of eyes met each other, and a wide smile graced the hammer-maiden’s face.

* * *

  


“Dust, these bushes!” Weiss exclaimed, batting at a particularly stubborn thorn that simply refused to exit her jacket.

Once she’d loosed nature’s annoyance from her jacket she continued to make her way through the undergrowth, only to stop and look up as a wave of pressure passed over her.

The sound that followed was loud, and she heard a small yelp of pain, as a girl missed her footing in the trees above her, landing on the ground in front of her.

“Are you oka-” Weiss began, but froze, as amber eyes locked with hers.

“Damn it.”

* * *

  


Yang ejected a spent shell from her gauntlets, the final of two Ursa having been the recipient of a powerful right hook.

A wave of pressure met her, blowing the spent shell of its original course and landing almost five feet to the left of where it should have.

The sound that followed perked Yang’s interest, and so she began making her way towards it.

She was betting Ruby had something to do with it, after all, she’d started her first day at Beacon by exploding.

Her younger sister seemed to have a knack for attracting trouble. Just this week she’d fought a criminal who was in the process of robbing the shop she was in. Yang needed to keep a better eye on her, and what better way than being her partner.

Of course, when she entered a clearing where a teen dressed in green decapitated a giant snake by sticking its fang in its eye and hitting it really, really hard, Yang was hard pressed to want Ruby as her partner.

“Hey, ninja-dude. Looks like we’re partners!”

* * *

  


“Do you think this is it?” Jaune asked his new partner, as the two stood in front of a dark hole lodged in the side of a cliff face.

The two began walking in, Jaune using what little  _ Aura Control _ he had to provide light, his hand glowing white.

“I’m not sure this is it…” Pyrrha began, and Jaune sighed.

“Let’s just make sure, we’ll just go another five feet.”

The two proceeded to go another five feet, where they were met with a corner.

“Well, we might as well take a look,” Jaune offered, stepping forward.

The two rounded the corner, and Jaune’s glow was diminutive in comparison to what could only be described as the stinger to a giant scorpion.

Wait.

“ Jaune!” Pyrrha exclaimed, as Jaune booked it past her,  _ Sprint  _ active.

“RUN!” Jaune screamed as he ran, feet thumping the stone floor of the cave in rapid succession.

Pyrrha was quick to join him, heels somehow not impeding her speed as she kept pace.

“It’s not the relic Pyrrha, it’s not!” Jaune shouted as he ran, and as the two exited the cave they felt the ground shudder beneath them as the pursuing scorpion Grimm burst through the cave entrance, sending shards of rock into the air.

The two ran as fast as they could, covering ground the way only able to be done when a giant scorpion monster is giving chase.

They breached the treeline, and so too did the scorpion Grimm.

Ahead of Jaune and Pyrrha was the abandoned temple they’d originally been sent to find, alongside four other people, all of which turned to see the eldritch abomination that was pursuing the two.

It continued to approach and they continued to run, only altering their heading as a rain of jet-black feathers twice the size of Jaune impacted the ground ahead of them, and two figures impacting alongside them, although closer to the temple and not impaled by feathers.

“Some help would be appreciated!” Jaune cried out, and the blond teen noticed Weiss as one of the first to respond, shooting forwards with haste, planting her rapier blade into the dirt, a plume of ice erupting from the point and encasing one of the pincers.

“Thanks, Weiss,” Jaune offered, his breathless thank-you being accepted with a sigh.

“So, what do we do now?” Someone asked, Jaune didn’t know who, but he did know who answered.

“Well, there’s no sense in waiting around. Our objective is right in front of us,” Weiss said, and Ruby took the proverbial torch.

“She’s right. Our mission is to grab a relic and make it back to the cliffs, there’s no point in fighting these things,” She said, and Jaune found himself nodding in agreement, alongside many of the others.

“Run and live. That’s a plan I can get behind. We’d better do it quick though, that bird is coming back around,” Jaune said, as he looked towards the sky.

As if to confirm that suspicion a loud ‘caw’ sound echoed across the clearing.

Both Ruby and Jaune walked over to the relics, a variety of gold and black chess pieces, and each took one. Ruby took a rook, whilst Jaune took a knight, both gold.

The two shared a small smile before walking back to the rest of the assembled Hunters-in-training, only to have what seemed like a happy moment snap back into morbid reality as the creepy giant scorpion chittered, ice cracking as it struck at it.

“Time we left!” Said someone Jaune hadn’t met, and he agreed with the sentiment, joining the pack as they all began to run towards the cliffs.

Oh, and what a run it was going to be, as they heard ice shatter behind them.

“Not again!”

* * *

  


It was a straight shot to the cliffs, but they had to first navigate the ruined structure that was just barely supporting itself, the base of it so far down into the gorge that it wasn’t even visible amongst the thick fog.

Adding to that, the giant scorpion was still hot on their heels, and the giant bird was coming around.

As Jaune ran he threw a glance over his shoulder, triggering  _ Observe _ as he looked.

** [Elder Deathstalker] **

** [Grimm, Level 5] **

** [Health: Minorly Injured] **

** [Elder Nevermore] **

** [Grimm, Level 5] **

That was bad, really really bad. Jaune had never even seen Elder Grimm before, although now he guessed he had.

“Incoming!” Jaune cried out as the Elder Nevermore flapped its wings, a blast of air and razor sharp feathers being hurtled towards them.

Those with shields blocked the impacts with grunts, and those without used increased mobility to dodge them, but that seemed to matter little to the Elder Nevermore, swooping over the top of them and deciding it liked hovering in front of them in an attempt to cut them off.

“We need to keep moving!” Ruby called out.

The boy in green added his voice to the air. “Nora, cover us!”

The girl with the hammer, Nora, leaped out of cover as the group began to run, opening fire with what once was a hammer and was now a grenade launcher.

If Jaune wasn’t in a life-or-death situation, he would’ve been impressed, but as it was he had more pressing things to worry about.

The Nevermore screeched as it felt explosions impact across its body, and Jaune watched as Ruby leaped close to Nora, grabbing her around the waist and sprinting away as the Deathstalker’s pincer impacted the ground right where she had been standing.

“Onto the ruins!” Someone called out, and Jaune found himself in agreement, taking the rear alongside his partner as they crossed an ancient stone bridge, just wide enough for the Deathstalker to fit on.

Of course, the Nevermore decided it enjoyed keeping them cut off, and repositioned to be in front of them once more, another barrage of sharp avian projectiles being hurtled their way.

One such feather struck the centerpoint of the stonework, taking a chunk of it out and separating the group into two.

Pyrrha, Blake, Weiss and Jaune faced off against a rampant Deathstalker, as Ruby, Yang, Nora and the as yet unnamed boy in green faced a rather annoyed Nevermore.

Jaune and Pyrrha took the frontlines, shields clanging as the Deathstalker struck with pincers, and Jaune rolled backwards as the stinger impacted the ground in front of him, narrowly missing the teen.

Blake and Weiss provided ranged support from behind, bullets and blue glowing projectiles impacting against the bony exoskeleton of the chittering Grimm.

The stinger came down again, this time at Pyrrha, and she sidestepped it, and Jaune capitalized on the opening, a horizontal slash impacting against the dense muscle that held it in place, digging in deep.

The Deathstalker screamed in pain, and Jaune felt his side take a severe hit, launching him back towards Blake and Weiss in a heap.

He was already climbing up, using the time it took to clamber back to his feet to come up with something, anything, any kind of plan.

“Blake, Weiss, how high can you get me above the Deathstalker?” Jaune asked, looking back at the two girls.

They didn’t spend any time or energy explaining, nor did he, and they quickly grabbed him.

“ Pyrrha, stinger!” Jaune shouted as a black glyph appeared beneath the three of them, and as Pyrrha noticed what Jaune was getting at, he roared,  _ Battle Cry _ triggering as Weiss activated her glyph, launching her, Jaune and Blake into the air, where the two girls gave all they could in shoving him upwards.

Pyrrha, emboldened by the roar Jaune had given, flipped backwards and threw her shield, the round metal plate spinning through the air and severing the skewed muscle that held the stinger in place, and Jaune watched from above the Deathstalker.

Jaune plunged towards the Grimm, and activated  _ Mana Impact _ , glowing arcane energy pooling around his feet as he struck feet first atop the stinger that was balanced precariously atop the exoskeleton.

The impact sent a shudder through all that were nearby, as all the Mana Jaune put into it was delivered through a powerful blow, detonating the Deathstalker from the inside out.

Jaune surfaced from the corpse, brushing viscera from his face and giving a hasty thumbs up to the rest of the assembled students, before noticing Ruby decapitate the Nevermore atop the cliff.

How she’d done that was completely beyond him, but he liked to think it had been as cool as the result looked.

** [Encounter Complete!] **

** [You gained 5280 XP!] **

** [Level Up!] **

** [You are now Level 4!] **

** [+5 Skill Points!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [x2] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Weapon Proficiency: One-Handed Melee ** _ ** has reached level 6!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [x2] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Weapon Proficiency: Shield ** _ ** has reached level 6!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [x4] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Sprint ** _ ** has reached level 5!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Sprint ** _ ** has updated!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Observe ** _ ** has reached level 4!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [x3] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Dodge ** _ ** has reached level 6!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Dodge ** _ ** has updated!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [x3] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Battle Cry ** _ ** has reached level 5!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Battle Cry ** _ ** has updated!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [x4] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Mana Impact ** _ ** has reached level 5!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Mana Impact ** _ ** has updated!] **

** [A title has ranked up!] **

** [Title:  ** _** Huntsman ** _ ** has reached the rank of: Novice!] **

** [Next Title Milestone: Kill 25 Beowolves!] **

** [Ding!] **

** [Due to intense physical and mental stress in the face of difficult challenge, you’ve gained 1 point in all stats!] **

** [Elder Deathstalker Chitin] **

** [Chitin from an Elder Deathstalker, this chitin is strong and hardened, difficult to pierce, this rare crafting component sells well.] **

That… Jaune was going to read that later.

First, he had a cliff face to climb.

* * *

  


“Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of you took the black bishop pieces, and will form Team Cardinal, lead by Cardin Winchester,” Ozpin said, addressing the assembled audience as much as the newly formed team themselves.

The four walked off the stage and joined the crowd of students.

Ozpin looked down to his scroll, and began to read out names once again.

“Ruby Rose, Lie Ren, Yang Xiao Long, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you took the gold rook pieces, and will form Team Rain, lead by Ruby Rose,” Ozpin spoke, and the shocked look that Ruby bore on her face as she stood in front of the crowd was soon covered as her older sister swallowed her in a tight hug.

“Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Pyrrha Nikos. The four of you took the gold knight pieces, and will form Team Auburn, lead by Jaune Arc,” Ozpin addressed, and as he finished he directed a look at Jaune that the boy would be pressed to forget.

Even as Pyrrha thumped him on the shoulder, doing enough damage to actually dip his HP, seeing as his aura wasn’t active, he still shivered at the look the headmaster was giving him.

Ozpin did not like Jaune, and Jaune could not figure out why.

He stepped down from the stage and rejoined the crowd of students, his new team in tow, noting as another notification appeared.

** [Quest Complete!] **

** [ ** _** Huntsman: First Steps (Part 3). ** _ ** ] **

** [Successfully survive and complete the Beacon Academy Initiation] **

** [Reward: 2000 XP, 1 Skill Point, 1 Skill Book (In Inventory)] **

** [Level Up!] **

** [You are now Level 5!] **

** [+5 Skill Points] **

Jaune decided to shelve those notifications for further viewing, and so they joined the minimized notification windows from the Initiation encounter.

The assembly finished quickly, but Jaune barely noticed, walking out of the hall with a dazed expression that was not matched by his teammates.

Blake and Weiss both had surly expressions, although for remarkably different reasons, and Pyrrha was wearing a polite smile.

“Hey, Team AWBN!” A voice called out, snapping Jaune out of his reverie as he looked towards Ruby and the rest of team RRYN. “You guys wanna come with so we can check out our dorms together?”

Jaune didn’t answer for a moment, and as he was about to he heard a ‘hmph’.

Jaune frowned, turning to Weiss. He opened his mouth, and promptly closed it, turning back to Ruby. “Sure thing, Ruby. Let’s go.”

The eight students began walking towards the dorms, but Jaune was the last of the eight, staring into the sky as the chills failed to leave his body.

* * *

  


Jaune and the rest of his new team were settling in to their dorm, just across the hall from the far noisier Team RRYN.

Jaune acted as he was supposed to and let the girls all shower before he did, but once he was able to enter the bathroom he was finally able to release the stress he’d been holding since the assembly.

He turned the taps, warm water pouring out of the showerhead, and stepped out of his clothes, relishing in the warmth as he entered the shower.

Once typical shower related things were taken care of, Jaune brought up the minimized notifications of the day’s work, eyes widening slightly as he noticed a few things he hadn’t seen before.

He’d gained two levels in one day, but considering his day he thought that was fair.

A lot of skills had leveled up, too, and multiple times per skill was more common than not. That was great, but it wasn’t the most important part.

According to his notifications, some of skills had updated. What that meant Jaune didn’t know, so he navigated to his skills window and brought up  _ Sprint _ .

** [ ** _** Sprint (Active): ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now sprint better than ever before! Sprinting costs  _ _ 4 SP/s _ _ , and you can sprint up to half-AGI m/s.  _ _** Level 5; XP 1200/1600. ** _ ** ] **

So,  _ Sprint _ cost 1 SP/s less than before. That was good, he could sprint for much longer now, and that was just one of the skills that had updated.

He brought up the rest of the skills that had changed, interested in seeing what was different.

** [ ** _** Dodge (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now evade attacks with precision and skill. Consumes  _ _ 9 SP _ _ per dodge.  _ _** Level 6; XP 222/3200. ** _ ** ] **

** [ ** _** Battle Cry (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can perform a battle cry, which increases morale in all friendlies, decreases morale in all hostiles, and allows you to dip into the negative for SP, MP and AP, at the cost of HP and exhaustion.  _ _ Damage taken from exceeding limit is reduced by 10% _ _.  _ _** Level 5; XP 1280/1600. ** _ ** ] **

** [ ** _** Mana Impact (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now direct Mana into your feet, creating a shockwave upon impact. The higher the drop, the bigger the shockwave. Costs  _ _ 99 MP _ _ per cast.  _ _** Level 5; XP 940/1600. ** _ ** ] **

Now those were nice benefits.

Jaune checked the next thing in his list, before opening up the title window and checking his title.

** [Title] **

** [Huntsman Novice:  ** _ As a Huntsman Novice, you gain +15% XP from all Grimm kills.  _ _** Next Rank: Huntsman Amateur (0/25 Beowolves killed) ** _ ** ] **

So he got even more XP from killing Grimm now, that was good.

Next on the list of notifications was a single point to all his stats, which was excellent.

Second last was the item he’d picked up from the Deathstalker, black and white chitin with small red streaks, which he decided keeping in his inventory would be a lot better for all involved.

Last but not least was the quest completion he’d minimized to look at later, which just so happened to be now.

An extra skill point was nice, but Jaune was much more interested in the skill book he’d been awarded. Once again checking his inventory, he tapped on the skill book to bring up details on it.

** [Skill Book] **

** [Summoning Ritual] **

** [Consume: Yes/No] **

Summoning Ritual? That wasn’t anything Jaune had heard of before, but it certainly perked his interest, so clicked yes.

** [LOCKED] **

** [Stat Requirement: INT 20, WIS 20] **

Jaune sighed. He couldn’t learn it, but at least he knew that some skills were locked behind stat requirements.

Wait.

Jaune frantically brought up his stats, and noticed he had skill points to spend. He spent all of about half a second considering the consequences before pressing the tip of his finger against the plus next to INT, and again against the plus next to WIS.

He then pressed the yes button on the skill book, consuming it with haste.

** [Skill Learned!] **

** [ ** _** Summoning Ritual (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can conduct a ritual that can allow you to summon something. What is summoned by the ritual is dependent on materials used.  _ _** Level MAX. ** _ ** ] **

** [Skill Learned!] **

** [ ** _** Summoning (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can bind something you have summoned using the summoning ritual, allowing you to use this skill to summon at will. Summoning costs 100 MP to summon, and maintaining a summon costs 50 MP/min.  _ _** Level 1; XP 0/100. ** _ ** ] **

Jaune turned off the shower and began towelling himself off, reading his two new skills to himself.

_ Summoning Ritual _ appeared to be the more important of the two, but that didn’t mean that  _ Summoning  _ wasn’t as useful.

He wasn’t sure what he could use as materials for summoning, but his mind, without his willing it, suggested Dust.

Well, it was good news that one of his teammates had something to do with Dust. Maybe Weiss knew a little about it, and would be willing to share that knowledge.

He’d just have to ask her at some point.

As for now, though, Jaune was content to simply sleep, and as he quietly stepped out of the bathroom he noticed that the other three members of AWBN were already unconscious, in various sleeping positions.

Jaune didn’t even have the energy to care about what those positions were, however, as he clambered into the only bed left, which he assumed was the one that hadn’t been claimed.

As correct as he was on the assumption, he didn’t have the time or energy to congratulate himself, as he drifted off into unconsciousness.

And to think, tomorrow was the first day of classes.

* * *

  


  
  
  



	7. A Glyph of Ice and Fire

* * *

  


Jaune opened his eyes to a swarm of floating blue notifications.

** [The System has experienced a catastrophic error in formulaic processing!] **

** [Reverting to predetermined subroutines!] **

** [Re-initializing Default Protocol!] **

** [ERROR: Default Protocol not found. Initializing Alternate Protocol!] **

** [...] **

** [...] **

** [...] **

** [Alternate Protocol Initialized!] **

** [Experience System Altered!] **

** [The System suggests checking all XP based sequences!] **

** [XP now unified. Skill XP no longer exists!] **

** [XP Formula altered. XP Gain Formula altered. XP Required altered!] **

Well, Jaune didn’t really know how to react to that. He checked the time, noting it was pretty early in the morning, and decided that now was a better time than never to check what had changed, especially considering how significant the System made it out to be.

Catastrophic didn’t sound so good.

Jaune opened his menu and selected his stats menu, only to have a notification appear above the screen.

** [Player XP has been reset due to an error!] **

** [Skill XP has been reset due to an error!] **

Oh.  _ Oh. _ That wasn’t good. In fact, that was so far beyond good on the scale of good to bad it was reaching bad, clawing past it and almost touching really bad.

In other words, it wasn’t good at all.

Jaune dismissed the notification, and realised he might’ve been overreacting.

** [STATS] **

** [Name: Jaune Arc] **

** [Title: Huntsman Novice] **

** [Level: 5] **

** [XP: 0/1500] **

** [HP: 190/190 (0.95/s)] **

** [SP: 190/190 (3.8/s)] **

** [MP: 200/200 (2/s)] **

** [AP: 1520/1520 (0.38/s)] **

** [STR: 18] **

** [END: 19] **

** [AGI: 13] **

** [INT: 20] **

** [WIS: 20] **

** [CHA: 12] **

** [LCK: 11] **

** [Skill Points: 10] **

** [Lien: 115] **

Okay, so the good news was nothing but his XP had been reset, although now that he thought of that why would anything else be affected?

It was too early in the morning for thinking.

He didn’t even want to look at his skills, if it meant reading through each and every one to see a couple random numbers.

Maybe it was better off that he just ran with it, instead of delving deep into whatever metaphysical programming went into making the System working. That way led madness, and if he was being perfectly straight with himself he wasn’t ready to go insane just yet. He’d give it at least a week or so of being a team leader before he resolved himself to crazy-town.

Speaking of being team leader, he’d best wake up his team lest they all be late, and then he’d get blamed, and then Professor Goodwitch would most probably get angry with him, and then he’d be taken to see the headmaster, and then Headmaster Ozpin would murder him, bring him back to life, murder him again, and just generally delight in dealing death and pain to him.

Jaune might’ve been exaggerating slightly, but he maintained that it was only slightly, and that Ozpin really didn’t like him so it wasn’t too far to assume the man might take any anger out on him.

Speaking of taking anger out, Jaune could feel a pair of eyes boring through the back of his head. If looks could kill, and all that.

He stood from his bed and turned, noting the three sleeping figures of his new team.

His partner, Pyrrha, was the deepest sleeper, wrapped in the bedcovers like they were the only things important to her in life.

Blake was at the far end of the room, opposite Jaune, and the raven-haired girl was sleeping lightly, but still wearing the ribbon. That was a little odd.

Weiss was the only one who wasn’t asleep, not for lack of pretending to be. It was clear to Jaune, the way her eyelids flickered and the way she breathed in and out far faster than anyone relaxed would.

He glanced at the clock that hovered in his field of view once more, before deciding his first act as team leader would be to make his team hate him.

“Alright, Team AWBN! Wake up, we’ve got classes soon!” Jaune called out, noting that Weiss opened her eyes almost instantly.

Blake and Pyrrha were less excited, the former groaning as she awoke and the latter snuggling deeper into her bed.

“We’ve got classes at nine, guys. It’s eight. That’s an hour for showering, and unpacking, and all that, so we should probably get up,” Jaune said, looking over his team.

Weiss was out of the bed and in the bathroom before Jaune could blink, door slamming shut behind her.

Well, that was one of three taken care of.

“Guys?”

There was no response.

It was going to be a long morning for the new team leader.

* * *

  


Jaune didn’t think it was possible to put a room to sleep with mere words, but at the front of the class stood proof that that was in fact not true even slightly.

Professor Port stood as portly as his name implied, bearing a mustache larger than any thought possible.

Professor Port was in the process of talking, but Jaune, alongside almost every other student, had tuned him out, the hearty booming voice at odds with the sheer boredom each word carried, like a payload in a missile.

“There I was, with only a shovel, five pounds of butter and my wit to save me from the horde of Boarbatusks that had me surrounded, but I wasn’t about to give up, ho ho!”

Jaune tried, he really did, but he’d suffered less agony when he’d faced that Alpha Beowolf. He didn’t want to listen, he really didn’t, but there was something that was forcing him to, a kind of morbid curiosity that had him tune back in once more.

“I stood victorious, clothes torn and coated head to toe in a glorious sheen thanks to the butter, my bulging-”

Jaune blanched, tuning out once more. Morbid curiosity or not, any more and he was going to jump out the window.

Sure, it wouldn’t make a very good impression for his first day of Beacon, but as he looked around he figured he wasn’t the only one who wanted to leave through any means possible.

Ruby was busy doodling in her notebook, her partner Nora laughing at the silly drawing she’d sketched of Port. Beside Nora sat Ren, the monk-like boy seeming like he was listening, but under closer inspection it was revealed he was in fact asleep with his eyes open, something Jaune wished he could do.

Yang was on the other side of her sister, the girl not even bothering to disguise her disdain for the class, head on the desk and occasional snores escaping her mouth.

Jaune looked to his own team. Blake was reading a book, which from first glance was something that was definitely not class material. He recognized it as a book one of his sisters read, and whilst his sister had been very vocal about it being ‘romance’, Jaune wasn’t that dumb.

Pyrrha was trying in vain to pay attention, her attention flitting back and forth between her notebook and what Port was saying, the girl occasionally jotting something down and then promptly scratching it out, shaking her head.

Weiss was the only one actively participating in the lesson, her notebook a flurry of ink and scrawled yet neat handwriting as she attempted to record word-for-word the story Port was telling, and from the look of growing consternation on her face she was slowly but surely becoming more and more disillusioned in Port’s teaching ability.

And yet, Jaune watched as Weiss raised her arm, answering a question Jaune didn’t even realise Port had asked.

“I can, Professor!” Weiss called out, and that seemed to please the man.

“Ah, a student after my own heart! Well, down you come, face the beast!” Port said with a hearty laugh, gesturing for Weiss to retrieve her equipment.

“Beast?” Jaune asked in a whisper, leaning over to his partner.

“A Boarbatusk, if I am correct. A common theme with… whatever it was the professor was talking about,” Pyrrha replied, paling as she recalled the tale.

“Ah…” Jaune uttered in understanding. He supposed he should probably be a supportive team leader, and as such decided to give a cheer to give Weiss confidence.

“You can do it Weiss!” Jaune shouted out, Ruby echoing her enthusiasm in a show of joint-team solidarity.

Weiss turned her head and  _ glared _ at Jaune, and he shrunk into his seat somewhat, regretting his attempts at being a good team leader.

Weiss drew her weapon, the rapier glistening, revealing exactly how much care she put into it. She stepped forward, settling into a ready position, and Port opened a cage Jaune had somehow not noticed until now, the eerie glowing red eyes suddenly finding home on the freshly revealed head of a Boarbatusk.

Jaune observed the Boarbatusk, interested in both gaining some XP for his newly reset  _ Observe _ .

** [Boarbatusk] **

** [Grimm, Level 2] **

Death came swift for the weak Boarbatusk, the porcine Grimm quickly suffering a deep stab to the underbelly, killing it with ease, but the creature of darkness had not been bested by an untouched rapier-wielder, Weiss having suffered a blow due to a lapse in concentration when Jaune had told her of the Boarbatusk’s weak spot.

He felt a little guilty about that.

As Weiss paced evenly back to her seat, Jaune leaned over to speak to her.

“Hey, sorry about distracting you, that was my bad,” He apologised, scratching the back of his head.

“Hmph,” Weiss uttered, and Jaune leaned back, a sigh escaping his lips.

This wasn’t going great, but it had only been a day. Maybe she just needed time to get used to her surroundings.

He certainly did.

Less than a minute later the bell rang, and both Team AWBN and RRYN stood as fast as their sleeping teammates would allow, the two teams quickly making there way out of the class and to the cafeteria to retrieve some much needed sustenance in the form of lunch.

As was to be expected, the cafeteria was full, students of varying years flowing in and out as they either claimed tables or took their food elsewhere.

AWBN and RRYN quickly claimed one of the few tables left, Jaune leaving them to get settled as he went to fetch something to eat.

Jaune was happy to eat whatever he could get his hands on, used to eating what his sisters wanted at that point in time, but when he found he had the luxury of choice he caved quickly under the pressure of decision making, grabbing what he was most used to.

As it turned out, this choice was seemingly popular, as Nora practically took the remaining pancakes, devouring them with such haste that Jaune felt like he was finally understanding that his father was not the only one in existence with such devout fervour towards the typically breakfast food.

As Jaune sat down, he realised he’d made quite a serious blunder.

“Hey, has anyone seen Weiss?” Jaune asked, a concerned expression on his face as he scanned the cafeteria.

Most of AWBN and all of RRYN shook their heads, except Blake.

“She stayed behind to talk with Professor Port. I don’t know what about,” Blake said, the most words she’d said all day.

Jaune just nodded, beginning to eat his pancakes. Whatever Weiss had to speak with the professor about, he was sure it was important.

* * *

  


“Professor, I just don’t understand. What is it that he has that I don’t?”

Professor Port looked at his student, patience on his face.

Weiss was pacing back and forth, thoughts whistling through her mind a mile a minute.

“Ms Schnee, I don’t quite think I get what you are trying to say.”

Weiss’s head snapped sideways, her eyes suddenly glaring into the professor’s.

“I should’ve been made the leader of Team AWBN!” Weiss exclaimed.

Port thought for a second, considering his response very carefully as to not offend the student that stood before him.

“That’s preposterous!” Port began, only to have Weiss up and walk away.

“Ah, Ms Schnee?” Professor Port called out to the retreating figure.

She ignored him.

“I did not finish, Ms Schnee!” Port called once more.

She ignored him once more.

Weiss exited the classroom, and Port sat back into his chair with a sigh.

“That poor boy.”

* * *

  


“Arc!”

Jaune perked his head up from his seat, as did the rest of AWBN and RRYN as they heard the shout.

“Prove to me you should be the leader of AWBN!” Weiss exclaimed.

Jaune scratched the back of his head. “Uh…”

“I challenge you to a fight, Arc! The winner becomes the leader of Team AWBN!” Weiss issued.

Jaune paled. “Do I have to accept?” Jaune asked.

“Yes!” Weiss practically screeched.

Jaune scratched the back of his head once again. “It’s just that it seems like a lose-lose for me, that’s all.”

“Ugh, fine. If you win, I’ll become the good little teammate like the rest of AWBN,” Weiss replied, before glaring at him.

In the corner of his eye Jaune noted as Pyrrha frowned slightly, and Blake made to stand up. At least those two were content with his insofar somewhat lacking leadership.

Jaune didn’t really have much of a choice. “Fine.”

“Come then,” Weiss said, turning on her heel and leaving the cafeteria. Jaune followed, and so did the rest of AWBN and RRYN, close on his heels.

They arrived at an empty sparring hall, Weiss already standing at one side, her rapier in one hand.

“Oh, let me just go get-” Jaune began, only to see Crocea Mors in Ruby’s hands, blade in sheath.

“Go get her Jaune!” Ruby said enthusiastically.

Jaune took his weapon with a thanks, before turning with a sigh to face Weiss.

Weiss settled into a ready pose, one Jaune recognized from earlier.

** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Leading a Team ** _ ** ] **

** [Defeat Weiss Schnee in single combat, and prove that you are a capable leader!] **

** [Reward: 2000 XP] **

Pyrrha took it upon herself to regulate the match. “Begin!”

Weiss shot forward with acceleration that rivaled Ruby, and Jaune barely managed to deploy his shield as her rapier impacted, the point of the blade skittering to the side and causing the heiress to veer off target, but to her credit she recovered well, rotating and preparing for a second attack.

Jaune turned about face, shield raised, and he drew his sword, Crocea Mors scraping slightly against the inside of the sheath part of the shield.

He held it easily in one hand, and his mind began flitting through possibilities.

He was locked in this fight, there was no way out aside from winning or losing, and he wasn’t a particularly big fan of losing, considering the consequences.

Weiss had only seen his  _ Mana Impact _ skill, and no-one aside from possibly Blake had seen any of his other skills, and Blake would’ve only seen them if she had bothered to pay attention to his acceptance exam.

As far as Weiss knew, she only had to contend with his physical prowess and prevent him from getting into the air, and she didn’t know the extent of his physical combat capabilities.

He snapped out of thinking just in time to raise his shield to deflect another strike, before parrying a stab with his blade.

He needed to figure out how she liked to fight so that he could counter it.

Weiss stabbed again, and Jaune took it with his shield, but the expected impact didn’t come, the point of the rapier being drawn backwards to avoid clanging off the plate of metal.

She fought with a style he didn’t recognize, although the fact he didn’t recognize it shouldn’t have been a surprise seeing as Jaune didn’t actually know any fighting styles. That was probably something Jaune should learn, but right now he was a little preoccupied as another stab was waved to the side by Jaune’s blade.

He needed to get up close and personal, rush her and preferably pin her down. Her style seemed to rely on rapid stabs and agility, so trapping her and hitting hard were the best options for him.  _ Shield Bash _ was going to get some serious use.

Jaune stepped forward as she stabbed at him, the blade sparking as it met his shield, and she stepped back a pace, stance still held with near perfection.

He kept up his momentum, however, and Weiss felt herself on the back foot as he continued to deflect her strikes. She needed to get passed his damned near-impenetrable defense.

She concentrated, and a glyph appeared beneath her, launching her up onto another.

Jaune watched as the glyph she landed on angled towards him and launched her within the same moment, and he raised his shield in anticipation as she impacted heels first against the metal plate, sending him back onto one knee from the force. A single flip had Weiss back on the ground, blade already flickering out to deprive him of some Aura, but he wasn’t done yet, rolling backwards and back up onto one knee, his shield serving as an anchorage point to keep him steady.

Weiss frowned, and paced back, blade still pointed forward.

Jaune rose from one knee and faced her down. His defense wasn’t doing anything, and it was still a stalemate. Neither had taken a blow, and Jaune hadn’t even attempted an attack yet.

He needed to play this a little more offensively.

He spun his sword in his hand once, loosening his wrist, before darting forwards, sword above his head in what could only be called a charge.

Weiss quickly created a glyph beneath her as Jaune closed the distance between the two, but he wasn’t quite doing what she thought he was doing.

He struck, slashing the air, and Weiss only had a split-second to wonder what he was doing before she had to dodge the beam of energy that was sent her way, carving a chunk of tile where it impacted next to her after her glyph had launched her sideways.

Jaune, however, had not stopped his charge, and as his shield impacted against her blade, which she’d thrown up in a hasty block, he kept up the charge, pinning her to the wall behind his shield.

Now, with Weiss pinned, Jaune gave her only a split second to react as he released the pin, drawing his shield close to his body.

Weiss tried to react, she did, but Jaune slammed the shield back into place, knocking the breath out of her.

Aura or no, it didn’t stop physics.

Jaune tried a second time but Weiss was ready, slipping to the side, into the path of Crocea Mors as it stabbed at her shoulder, her Aura flaring as it blocked the metal.

Weiss had broken the pin, but it had cost her dearly. Two solid hits like that had cost her a little over a third of her Aura, and Jaune knew it, as his eyes quickly glanced up to the overhead screen, where both their Aura levels were displayed.

It wasn’t numerical, of course, only the System seemed capable of formulaically understanding Aura on such a level, but it was enough to determine that Jaune was currently winning.

It appeared Weiss knew it too, her eyes revealing an enraged personality that Jaune was a little nervous of.

Weiss had been underestimating him, that much was clear, and now that he’d proven that he could in fact win, she was no longer holding back.

If anything, Jaune was actually excited. That feeling seemed to exist in his every move, even when Weiss hit him harder than a freight train.

He didn’t think someone so small could hit so hard, but then again he’d seen what Nora wielded, so maybe that wasn’t true, but as Weiss prepared another Glyph to do the same thing a second time, Jaune decided that maybe it was time to start throwing some curveballs.

Crocea Mors slid into the top of the shield, having learned from last time, and his hand outstretched. A single  _ Mana Bolt _ shot off the end of his fingertips, arcane energy crackling as it flew down range and impacted against Weiss as she charged forwards, her forward momentum not giving her the option to dodge.

The  _ Mana Bolt _ had done enough to slow her down, and as she slid to a stop Jaune stepped forwards and unleashed another  _ Mana Slash _ , the arcane line that flew from his blade impacting against her rapier, the mana dispersing and sending Weiss stumbling backwards.

If Weiss had been angry before, she was positively inconsolably  _ pissed _ now, as she gave up any and all restraint, pointing the rapier at him and screeching in rage.

Jaune hefted his shield and blocked as small projectiles of energy smashed against his shield over and over again, whittling away at his Aura as they impacted.

His Aura was still green, but he didn’t have any time to check his meters as Weiss felt that she wasn’t dealing enough pain.

A click sounded, and Jaune peered over his shield to see the rapier’s center point spinning.

He only had a second to prepare, and so he did what he could,  _ Observe _ being used on the weapon.

** [Myrtenaster] **

** [Multi-Action Dust Rapier] **

** [Myrtenaster is a custom-made rapier that incorporates elements of a revolver into the design. It is designed both as a powerful melee weapon and as a Dust-caster, and is accentuated by the sheer variety of Dust it carries.] **

** [+ 5 WIS] **

Jaune dodged sideways, rolling out of the way as a stream of fire sprung to life in his direction, emanating from Myrtenaster, Weiss having planted the tip of the blade into the ground.

A blast of ice blocked of his passage to the left, and Jaune was pinned, with only two directions to go, either away from the incensed heiress, or towards her.

The heat from the flames was already starting to melt the ice, but Jaune didn’t have the time nor the wherewithal to use that to his advantage, and so he really only had one choice.

He broke into a sprint, shield in front of him as he once again charged Weiss.

She had been expecting it, and she pointed Myrtenaster at him once more, the glowing blue projectiles shooting out once more.

He closed the distance even as he felt the pinpricks of energy impact his flaring Aura.

When he was close enough, he closed his eyes, unleashing an Aura-charged  _ Jump _ .

Suddenly, Jaune was fifty feet in the air, a roar escaping his lips as he activated  _ Battle Cry _ .

Weiss paled as she realised his plan of attack, but there wasn’t much she could do to prevent it from happening as Jaune reached the tip of his jump, plunging feet first towards the heiress, his shoes glowing as he poured Mana into them.

It was going to hurt both of them, Jaune knew, and he was going to be exhausted afterwards, but the impact was too satisfying to deny, feet impacting with a loud boom against…

A black glyph. Jaune frowned, and watched as a straining Weiss kept her rapier pointed at it, willing her Aura to prevent it from cracking, although it seemed to be to no avail as Jaune felt it break beneath him.

Unlike Weiss, Jaune was still capable of fighting, and as her arm slumped down, rapier dangling loosely, Jaune landed atop her, shield first, driving the girl to the ground and leaving her trapped beneath his own body weight.

A second passed, silent amongst the sparring hall, before a voice called out.

“End of match! Weiss’s Aura is in the red! Jaune wins!”

Jaune let out a small laugh, slumping backwards and releasing the pin, landing on his rear as he panted.

He leaned back and checked his meters.

** [Jaune Arc|Level 5] **

** [XP: 0/1500] **

** [HP: 145/171 (0.855/s)] **

** [SP: 131/171 (3.42/s)] **

** [MP: 0/180 (1.8/s)] **

** [AP: 1350/1368 (0.342/s)] **

** [Exhausted I] **

Well, he was exhausted, which he’d guessed.  _ Battle Cry _ was a useful skill, but he was damned if he couldn’t rest afterwards.

Weiss had hurt him pretty damn hard. If it weren’t for the sheer variety of tricks up his sleeve she’d have handily beat him with ease.

Sword and shield skills meant nothing against someone who could just eat away at his Aura from range, even with his shield up.

Jaune stood up slowly, groaning at the aching muscles that he could feel be slowly but surely removed by  _ System Body _ .

He paced over to where Weiss still lay, and held out a hand.

“Good match, Weiss. C’mon, we’ve got to get to class,” He said, a small smile on his face.

Weiss simply groaned in response, waited a second, and took his hand, the blond helping her to her feet.

Jaune could feel AWBN and RRYN approach them, and Pyrrha took Weiss’s arm over her shoulder, helping her walk.

“Thanks Pyrrha,” Jaune said, before looking around.

“You two sure made a mess,” Yang commented with a laugh, and Jaune cracked a smile.

There was ice and fire littering the ground, the ice slowly but surely becoming a puddle of water which was even slower in turning to steam as it neared the fire.

Shrapnel of tile littered the floor from the various impacts too, and Jaune was hard-pressed to care about cleaning it.

It was a sparring hall, it was expected to take a beating.

“Oh well,” Jaune said with a laugh. “I’m sure it’ll be taken care of.”

Blake rolled her eyes at that, and Ruby quickly shot over to Jaune.

“You’ve gotta tell us how you did all that!” Ruby was practically hopping up and down, and he noticed that her partner was just as excited to find out.

Jaune scratched at the back of his head. “I can’t. We’ve got to get to class, remember?”

Both Ruby and Nora visibly pouted, and the two other members of RRYN quickly took on their roles as managers of responsibility, Ren and Yang seizing their respective associates and dragging them out of the sparring hall.

Jaune followed them, as they all made their way to their next class.

Although Jaune was probably even more likely to sleep through it than he had been for Port’s class.

Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing remained to be seen.

** [Sparring Complete!] **

** [You gained 50XP!] **

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Battering Ram (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now charge an opponent, pinning them to a surface or knocking them aside. Costs 50 SP.  _ _** Level 2; XP 38/96. ** _ ** ] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Jump ** _ ** has reached level 2!] **

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Aura Control ** _ ** has reached level 2!] **

** [Quest Complete!] **

** [ ** _** Leading a Team ** _ ** ] **

** [Defeat Weiss Schnee in single combat, and prove that you are a capable leader!] **

** [Reward: 2000 XP] **

** [Level Up!] **

** [You are now Level 6!] **

** [+5 Skill Points!] **

* * *

  


Jaune had been right in that he was going to fall asleep in the next class.

There was something so inexplicably dull about a man who could talk a million miles a minute about something, and something very dull about the fact that he chose to talk about history.

Jaune wasn’t a history buff at all, especially considering he could barely focus. He’d wanted to take a nap, and once Professor Oobleck had introduced himself Jaune had done just that, collapsing into his notebook and copying Yang, who also took the lesson as an opportunity to sleep.

He’d heard someone, probably Weiss, mutter something about blond hair, but that was the last thing he remembered about the lesson until Pyrrha had shaken him awake, just before the bell had gone off.

His first day at Beacon hadn’t gone too great, but at least he’d survived. He stood up and began walking back to the dorms, accompanied by the other seven, but Weiss had stopped him, dragging him to the side.

Pyrrha had looked on, somewhat concerned, but Jaune just waved her on, the redhead nodding and continuing back to the dorm.

“I’m…” Weiss started, before falling silent.

Jaune was content to wait patiently for her to continue.

“I’m… sorry, about the way I acted. It was childish, and unfair. You won, fairly, and so I’ll uphold my end of the deal. I’ll stop being so… aggravating, and I’ll treat you as I should have from the beginning. I apologise for my actions.”

Jaune watched as she finished, before giving her a smile. “Don’t worry about it, Weiss. I don’t really have any experience as a leader, but I’ll try my hardest to be the leader you all deserve. You guys are far stronger than me, and just because I won the spar doesn’t mean you wouldn’t win in a real fight. My only advantages were the fact you’d never seen me fight before. You’d probably best me if we fought again anyway.”

“Hmph. I have no doubt about that. I would like to know what you are capable of, regardless. I don’t want any more nasty surprises like today,” Weiss said, and Jaune gave a laugh, scratching the back of his head.

“Sure, but you’ve got to tell me what you can do too. No sense in only me sharing,” Jaune said, gesturing for Weiss to walk.

The two quickly caught up to the rest of the group, settling in to the tired conversations that the new students of Beacon Academy were having after their first day.

And to think, there were still so many days to go.

* * *

  


  
  
  



	8. Jaune Nods Four Times

* * *

  


The mace swung towards his face, and Jaune calmly blocked it, shield ringing out as the thick metal weapon impacted against it.

The driving force behind the mace shouted in frustration and swung again, but Jaune took the blow against his shield once more, stepping into the path of the weapon with his shield raised over his head, sword drawn.

Crocea Mors met Cardin’s chest with speed as Jaune thrust, and the teen stumbled back, the point of his blade meeting resistance in the form of a thick metal breastplate, much larger and thicker than Jaune’s own.

Another shout escaped Cardin’s mouth as he pushed through the pain and exhaustion, swinging once again. The indomitable wall that was Jaune’s shield met the bludgeoning weapon, deflecting it to the side where it seemed to explode, sending tile shrapnel into the air around the arena even as Jaune swung his longsword, the sharp blade of Crocea Mors arcing along a horizontal axis towards Cardin’s head.

Cardin didn’t even have time to react as it impacted hard against his temple, and whilst the boy’s Aura took the lethal blade the force behind it was transferred, and Cardin was sent to the ground clutching his head, a throbbing headache forming within moments as it continued to ring like an explosion had gone off.

“Match complete, the winner is Jaune Arc. Mr Winchester, please pay more attention to your opponent’s strategy, and formulate one of your own. Charging in recklessly and swinging with abandon is a brilliant way to get yourself killed. As for you, Mr Arc, if you have a chance to finish a fight before it begins, do so. Do not feel like you must limit yourself to suit your opponent. Wasting your Aura is bad, and wasting my time is worse.”

Professor Goodwitch glared at the two combatants, and Jaune nodded, hand scratching at the back of his head like usual.

Cardin seemed too angry to take the advice to heart, frowning and muttering under his breath.

Jaune sheathed Crocea Mors and returned to his seat amongst both AWBN and RRYN, Pyrrha giving him a congratulatory smile as he placed himself down into his seat, and he gave his partner a smile in return as they all turned their attention to the next scheduled fight, as two students Jaune didn’t recognize entered the arena and began their fight.

He unfocused on the fight and discreetly checked his notifications.

** [Training Complete!] **

** [You gained 100XP!] **

** [A skill has leveled!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Aura Control ** _ ** has reached level 3!] **

_ Aura Control _ was useful to have, and continuing to level it was exactly what Jaune needed to do, so directing hints of his Aura to his arms when he took blows from Cardin’s mace was a great way to train the skill, and also help him not be crushed by the sheer force Cardin could apply.

He wondered if soon enough he’d be able to block a direct hit from Nora’s warhammer, but maybe that was less wishful thinking and more a suicidal notion.

He filed that one away in his mind under ‘Bad Ideas’, hoping to never consider that again. He liked his arms where they were, which was attached to his body.

The match between the two students seemed to go on forever as Jaune returned his attention to it, watching as they fought, the back and forth of their attacks draining both their Aura at a constant but slow rate.

Neither were particularly skilled, but they seemed to be at least somewhat equal, and as spear haft met dagger blade again and again Jaune, along with the rest of his team and RRYN, felt themselves becoming bored with a fight that didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Even Jaune knew that the basic tactics each side employed didn’t serve much purpose and were more designed for fighting Grimm than people, and it was clear that even Professor Goodwitch was becoming more and more infuriated.

Finally, the spear-wielder landed the final blow, knocking the dagger-wielder to the ground, and as the Professor announced the end of the match the anger in her voice was apparent to all the audience.

She was about to begin informing the two students how a lack of effort in training would lead to significant losses further on in their Hunter careers when the bell rang, and she decided it would be best to simply keep the two back, and Jaune winced as she directed a gaze to the rest of the class.

“Class dismissed!” She’d called out, and both AWBN and RRYN were practically clambering out of the room over the top of the other students, all of which hoping not to attract the wrath of the professor.

They had a short lunch break before their next class, and sooner or later the two teams were headed for their respective classes.

Their schedules were different, of course, with varying electives and such, and that was how Jaune found himself, alongside the rest of AWBN, headed for History, with Professor Oobleck.

The class was somewhat smaller than their group lectures, and they quickly grabbed what free chairs were left.

Oobleck was quick to enter the room, and as he began to speak Jaune quickly forgot any mental agreement he’d made to pay attention, drifting off into a half-asleep kind of trance, staring blankly at the wall.

“Mr Arc, maybe you would like to finally contribute to the discussion. What was it that gave the Faunus such an advantage over General Lagune and his forces?” Oobleck asked, and Jaune felt his concept of reality fluctuate as he returned to normality, doing his best to regain his senses.

“Uh…” Jaune began, not quite sure what was happening, but he looked over to his partner, who was motioning something over her eyes.

“Binoculars?” Jaune threw out, the guess sounding even worse leaving his mouth than it did in his mind.

A laugh from behind him sounded out, and the class turned their gaze to Cardin.

“Well, Mr Winchester, if you feel like you can do better, please, by all means,” Oobleck said, and Cardin gave that over-the-top ‘I’m-better-than-everyone’ smirk.

“It’s ‘cause it’s easier to train an animal than it is a human,” He said, and as it escaped his mouth Jaune could see the anger and repulsion in many of the surrounding students.

“You aren’t the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?” Pyrrha spoke, and Cardin’s cocky expression dropped as he glared at the champion with barely disguised maliciousness.

“What? You got a problem?” He practically shouted, but Pyrrha already had a response waiting, and she sprung her trap.

“No, I have the solution. Night vision,” Pyrrha said. “Most Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark.”

Blake decided to assist her teammate. “General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured.” She turned to face the angry teen, and with a hint of a smug expression continued to speak. “Perhaps if he’d paid attention in class, he wouldn’t have been remembered as such a failure.”

Cardin stood up, fists clenched, but Oobleck was first. “Mr Winchester! Take your seat!”

Jaune let out a chuckle, sharing a smile with his partner, but Oobleck was suddenly in front of him as well.

“You and Mr Winchester can both see me after class for additional readings!” Oobleck ordered, and Jaune slumped down into his desk with a sigh.

“Now, moving on!”

* * *

  


Forty pages!

That was like, two times twenty pages!

Jaune sighed as he walked out of the class behind the speedy professor, and was convinced he could give Ruby a literal run for her money.

It was like four times ten pages!

Okay, so he could say eight times five pages, but that was starting to become more redundant than the already repeated point he’d made.

“So, what was the punishment?”

Jaune looked up from his sulking, at his partner. “Pyrrha, you didn’t have to wait for me.”

“Regardless, I did. So, what is the professor making you do?” Pyrrha asked as the two slipped into a comfortable pace, headed towards the dorms.

“Read forty pages of the textbook and write an essay, by next class. I’d say I regret drifting off, but it was kind of worth it. You and Blake made a good one-two combo,” Jaune said with a laugh, and Pyrrha’s giggling joined his chuckle.

“Well, Cardin certainly deserves it, after that comment. I knew he wasn’t a nice person, but I won’t stand for his racism,” Pyrrha replied, and before Jaune could reply they heard a shout from behind them.

“Jauney-boy! Put your money where your mouth is, huh?”

The two turned to see an irate Cardin staring them down, hands balled into fists.

“I thought I already did today, Cardin,” Jaune replied, and that didn’t do much to calm the teen down.

“Yeah? You think you’re any good without that damned shield of yours?”

Jaune didn’t get a chance to reply as Cardin broke into a sprint, fist swinging in a blatant right hook towards his face.

_ Aura Control _ flickered to life as the blow struck against his face, but it was not Jaune that got sent stumbling, Cardin’s fist glancing off his Aura. Cardin hadn’t expected it, and he’d over-extended, and Jaune quickly sent a fist into his gut.

Cardin bent over, and Jaune reacted almost on instinct, bringing a knee into his face with rapid precision, and for the second time today Cardin Winchester was brought down with a one-two combo.

“Jaune, are you alright?” Pyrrha asked, worry on her face.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Can’t say the same about him. Do we take him to the infirmary?” Jaune consoled Pyrrha’s worry, before staring down at the crumpled figure that was Cardin.

A notification popped, but Jaune ignored it for the time being.

“Leave him. I’m sure he can make it to the infirmary once he wakes up. I’ve hit weaker people harder and they’ve been fine.”

Jaune looked at Pyrrha in surprise, her voice firmer and tougher than he’d heard before.

“You hit weak people?” Jaune asked, and Pyrrha’s expression cleared quickly, her hands coming up in her defense.

“What? No! I just meant in training!” She exclaimed, a shocked look on her face.

“Sure, Pyrrha. Let’s get back to the dorm,” Jaune said, restarting his walk back to the dorms. Pyrrha began to follow him.

“I don’t attack weak people, Jaune!”

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Weapon Proficiency: Unarmed Melee (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you are now capable of wielding your bare fists, feet and various other body parts as weapons without difficulty! The higher the level of this skill, the more skilled you are with all unarmed attacks, and the more damage you are capable of dealing! _ _** Level 1; XP 2/12. ** _ ** ] **

* * *

  


Xiphos met shield as Pyrrha clapped the two together in anticipation.

Her opponent looked ecstatic to even be up on the stage, and seemed to be in awe of the surroundings.

“Ms Nikos, Ms Valkyrie, you may begin!” Glynda called out, and Jaune watched in anticipation as his partner faced off against Ruby’s partner.

Of course, the fight ended a lot sooner than any had expected, although considering Pyrrha’s extensive tournament history that shouldn’t have been a surprise.

Nora leapt forwards with an overhead strike, planning on bringing it down atop her fellow redhead, but Pyrrha simply dropped her shield and grabbed the handle of the hammer just before it impacted, stepping close to Nora and jabbing with her xiphos.

Nora’s Aura flared as it hit, but Pyrrha wasn’t done yet, flinging the shorter girl completely out of the arena with what looked somewhat unfeasible.

Jaune wasn’t an idiot, he knew that without some kind of assistance there was no throwing someone like that.

It seemed that much like himself his partner had something to hide in regards to a semblance.

“Match over. Ms Nikos is the winner. Well done, Ms Nikos. As for you, Ms Valkyrie, I suggest you not use such visible attacks right out of the gate. You left yourself open, and paid the price.”

Glynda seemed almost stunned that the match had ended that fast, and Jaune couldn’t blame the normally unflappable professor, he was as equally stunned.

The professor hadn’t even given any feedback to Pyrrha, and it was clear she didn’t need it.

The two girls made it back to their seats, and where Jaune had been expecting a somewhat down Nora, he was once again mistaken.

“Pyrrha, that was awesome! You just grabbed Magnhild and threw me! You’re incredible!” Nora exclaimed, a massive smile on her face.

Pyrrha gave a small smile, and went to speak, but Nora was already back in her seat talking animatedly with Ren.

Jaune leaned over. “I see your reputation is deserved.”

“Of course it is you dunce!” Weiss whisper-exclaimed, glaring at her leader. “I still don’t understand how you’d never heard of either of us!”

“I mean, I knew what the SDC was, but that doesn’t mean I know the daughter of its CEO!” Jaune whisper-exclaimed back.

“Hmph!”

Jaune could hear an almost imperceptible laugh, and he flicked his head around to a slightly smiling Blake, head buried in a book to cover her face.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Who was it that saved you from those Ursa?” Jaune quipped, and Blake frowned behind the book.

“You distracted me, and the Ursa I was fighting without a problem landed a strike on me!” Blake joined the team in whisper-exclamations.

“I never claimed I didn’t!” Jaune hissed in reply.

“Wait, the two of you knew each other before Initiation?” Pyrrha asked, surprise on her face.

“Knew is a strong word,” Blake said, before Jaune could get in a word edgewise.

“AWBN, if you’d like to try paying some kind of attention for once, that would be appreciated.”

All of AWBN quickly stopped their conversation in favour of not angering the fearsome professor, turning their attention to her.

“As I was saying, our excursion into the Forever Fall is coming up soon. I expect you all to be prepared, as it is Grimm-infested territory. That is all, dismissed.”

The students began standing, chatter emerging from the crowd louder than ever.

“Forever Fall, huh? Why do they call it that?” Pyrrha asked.

“The leaves are always red,” Both Blake and Jaune said at the same time, leaving their partners somewhat flummoxed.

“It’s, uh… where we met,” Jaune supplied, the confused looks slowly ceasing to be.

“What were you doing in the Forever Fall, Jaune?”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Pyrrha who asked, and Jaune turned to see a curious Ruby standing there, her team behind her.

“Oh, I was just doing some last minute training, that was all. Wanted to make sure I could pass the exam and all,” Jaune explained, and Ruby nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, I know what that’s like! I used to go out into the wilds on Patch and try and hunt, although there aren’t too many Grimm on Patch. Mostly Beowolves, really,” Ruby said wistfully, as if reenacting her training in her head.

“Well, why don’t we, as team leaders, take our teams out into the Emerald Forest and train against some Grimm?” Jaune asked.

Ruby nearly broke her neck with the speed she nodded, her agreement rather obvious. “Yeah, we should! I still don’t really know how Nora fights, and it’ll be interesting to see how Ren and Yang work together!”

“We’ve got a free period next, don’t we? Let’s make good use of it.”

* * *

  


The Emerald Forest was exactly how it had been the last time they’d been there, which had been initiation.

That was to say that it was mostly rubble at the bottom of a giant chasm, the remnants of an ancient temple structure that had succumbed to the combined efforts of the Nevermore, Death Stalker and the eight hunters-in-training.

Hopefully their training trip wouldn’t prove to be so disastrous.

“So, first things first, how do we get down there?” Jaune asked, the eight of them up at the top of the Beacon cliffside once more.

“Well, we could always use the catapult platforms again,” Ruby offered, but Jaune shook his head.

“Please no. Last time I used those I made a crater bigger than what you and Weiss made on the first day,” Jaune replied, a loud laugh from Yang and a quiet chuckle from Blake his only congratulations for the witty remark.

“Hmph!” Weiss didn’t seem to take that all too well.

“We could try climbing down, if that’s not too difficult,” Pyrrha spoke up, and Jaune glanced around to gather some kind of consensus.

“I believe I have a method that would be preferable to all those involved.”

Eight sets of eyes snapped to the approaching figure.

Headmaster Ozpin stepped closer to the group, an easy smile on his face as he finished his pace and leaned against his cane.

“Headmaster, sir! We’re just, uh…” Ruby began, but the headmaster held up a free hand.

“Please, Ms Rose, I already know what you eight are doing. I must applaud your eagerness, but I must also warn you away from foolishness. You do, of course, have my permission to train off campus, but please do be careful. You never know what is lurking out there,” Ozpin spoke, and the eight listened intently.

“Now, as for a solution to your problem, I believe that I can requisition a Bullhead to take you down, and pick you up. It’ll only be a scroll call away, and offers convenience in case of an emergency. In exchange, I’d like to speak to the leader of AWBN for a moment.”

Ozpin’s words sunk in slowly for Jaune, and as he met the gaze of the headmaster he saw through the facade the older man held, although it was only for a moment.

Cold eyes stared back into his.

“Of course, Headmaster Ozpin. You guys go, I’ll catch up,” Jaune said, and the seven hunters-in-training began their pacing towards the Bullheads near the front courtyard.

“Come, Mr Arc, I’d like to speak with you somewhere a little more private,” Ozpin said, and Jaune blanched at the tone.

It was much colder, empty of emotion and unlike how he’d been speaking just a moment earlier.

It terrified him, but Jaune still followed as the Headmaster led him away from the cliffside and towards a small courtyard, where the older man took a seat, gesturing for Jaune to do the same.

Jaune did so, sitting opposite the intimidating presence.

“Mr Arc, we need to have a rather serious conversation.”

* * *

  


Ruby was confused. She’d seen the look in Ozpin’s eye, it was impossible to miss, and considering Blake, Weiss and Pyrrha looked a little stunned, it was clear they’d seen it too.

“What was that all about?” Ruby asked, and Pyrrha could only shake her head in confusion.

“We’ve seen the headmaster looking like that before, but now we know he was looking like that at Jaune. I wonder what he did?” Weiss asked aloud, although no one had any definitive answer to her.

“This couldn’t be about Cardin, could it?” Pyrrha asked, and six faces turned to her.

“Yesterday, after class, Cardin attacked Jaune,” Pyrrha began, and suddenly a chorus of ‘What?’ echoed across Beacon’s exterior.

“Jaune beat him, easily, Cardin is even worse than any of us at hand to hand. I’m just wondering if that was what the headmaster was angry about,” Pyrrha continued, a worried look crossing her face.

“No, that wouldn’t make sense as to the expressions we’ve seen on the headmaster’s face before. He had that same expression in the induction ceremony,” Weiss said, brow scrunched in thought.

“Maybe it’s about Jaune’s leadership?” Ren offered, and four very vocal ‘No!’s sounded out.

Blake and Weiss looked at each other in surprise, unsure whether it was their own or the other’s exclamation that shocked them the most.

“Jaune’s done nothing negative so far. This entire training exercise was his idea. It has to be something else,” Pyrrha remarked.

“Maybe it’s a secret conspiracy!” Nora piped up.

“Nora, I doubt that very much,” Ren replied.

“Maybe we could ask Jaune?” Yang ventured, and the group’s gaze quickly followed hers, as the blond-haired swordsman approached.

“Jaune! What happened?” They chorused, and Jaune looked startled.

“Huh?” He asked, confusion on his face.

“Are you alright?” Pyrrha asked.

“What did the headmaster want?” Weiss asked.

“Woah, slow down. I’m fine, the headmaster just wanted to ask me about my semblance, that’s all. Nothing to worry about,” Jaune said, scratching the back of his head. “Let’s just get in the Bullhead and get to training, we’re wasting time!”

Jaune hopped in the awaiting Bullhead, and the rest of the group followed suit, but not without sharing a glance.

They made themselves comfortable, and Jaune leaned back into his stiff fabric seat, staring out the open door as they lifted off.

In the air, just in front of his face, floated a notification.

** [A skill has leveled up!] **

** [Skill:  ** _** Deceitful Speech ** _ ** has reached Level 3!] **

* * *

  


“Mr Arc, I’m going to be completely and utterly blunt with you. Where and how did you gain access to the System?”

Jaune stared in shock at the headmaster.

“Mr Arc?”

Jaune couldn’t formulate an answer.

“Mr Arc, do not play dumb with me, I am very much not in the mood to play games.”

** [System Mind has triggered!] **

_ System Mind _ didn’t do much to dissuade his panic, but at least he could think of something to say.

“I…”

Okay, so thinking of something to say beyond one word was a little bit of a stretch at the moment.

“Mr Arc, I’m waiting, but I shan’t be waiting much longer,” Ozpin said.

“I just woke up with it!” Jaune blurted out, the words tumbling out of his mouth like a torrential downpour.

Ozpin seemed nonplussed. “You just… woke up with it?”

“One morning I just woke up with a blue window in front of me, that’s all I know!” Jaune said, panic still rather audible in his voice.

The headmaster sat back, his expression turning from confusion to one of pondering.

“Interesting. So you didn’t make a deal with anyone?”

Jaune shook his head rapidly.

Ozpin ‘hmm-ed’, a hand coming up to rest under his chin.

“This is rather odd, Mr Arc. I apologize for my demeanour in the past few days, I was under the impression you were, well, not who you are. The past few weeks have been rather… stressful, as you can imagine.”

Jaune just nodded in response.

“I suppose you are rather intrigued as to how I know about the System, aren’t you?” Ozpin asked.

Jaune nodded again.

“Hmm. Perhaps that is a tale for another time, but I will do my best to condense it, if you don’t mind.”

Jaune nodded a third time.

“Over the years, I’ve had a few students who’ve somehow managed to possess limited access to what has been come to be known as the System. However, you appear to have the most direct access to it, as to why I was so concerned. If you had been an enemy of Vale, you can imagine how dangerous it would be to leave you unsupervised.”

Jaune nodded for a fourth time.

“Mr Arc, please stop nodding and say something,” Ozpin said, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

“Oh, right. Uh… now what?” Jaune asked.

“Now, you join your friends and head out into the Emerald Forest to train. However, and I must stress how important this is, do not speak of this to your friends, or your team. The System is dangerous, particularly so for those who are close to the wielder. They tend to make the best hostages.”

Jaune paled even further than he’d thought possible. Hostages?

That meant his friends were in danger just because of his existence. That wasn’t a great feeling.

“Look, Mr Arc, your friends will be safe for the time being. Explicitly stating the existence of the System is dangerous, but your use of it is not. At least, I shouldn’t think it would be. You needn’t worry, you should just be wary,” Ozpin explained, and that relaxed Jaune, if only slightly.

“Now, Mr Arc, go. Your friends are waiting.”

Jaune stood up and made his way to leave, but he was given one parting comment.

“Be careful, Jaune. The world is a dangerous place.”

Jaune gulped.

* * *

  


  
  
  



	9. Greek Myths

* * *

  


Jaune was so, so thankful that he was no longer motion sick.

It would seem like an understatement to most, but his air time no longer came with additional trash-can time, and he was oh so pleased with that addendum.

Sure, Ozpin had impressed upon him that if he told any of his friends about his semblance they were likely to be kidnapped and held hostage in exchange for rather complicated favours and all sorts of other illegal activities, but the upside was he could absorb that information mid-flight without emptying his inner contents all over his outer contents.

“So, where in the Emerald Forest are we going, Jaune?”

The teenager looked up as his name was mentioned, glancing about the seven other faces and settling on Ruby, the one who had spoken. In hindsight it shouldn’t have taken him that long.

“I don’t really know, somewhere out of the way? We only just fought in the area close to the cliffs, so there aren’t going to be that many Grimm, so maybe someplace a little further out?” Jaune ventured, and it appeared that an eighth person had been listening, as the Bullhead course-corrected slightly, veering through the air at a slightly different angle.

The others felt the change too, their center of balance shifting ever so slightly, and glanced out the windows at the shifting landscape beneath them.

The Emerald Forest once again lived up to its namesake, green leaves atop trees flashing past as they cruised overhead, the Bullhead’s engines giving off the telltale whine of aircraft engines.

“Alright kiddos, we’re coming up on your stop!” Came the voice of the pilot, as he expertly maneuvered the aircraft into place, lowering it from the sky to come to rest just above the untamed grass in a clearing.

“Thank you for flying Nickel International Flights, I hope you enjoyed your flight, and please fly with us again!” The pilot shouted as the doors slid open, the engine noise no longer dampened by the sheets of metal.

Jaune and Ruby were the first off the Bullhead, dropping onto the ground and quickly putting some distance between themselves and the vehicle, which conversely unloaded the rest of its cargo, the remaining members of AWBN and RRYN touching solid ground and taking up positions, weapons drawn.

They could feel a cold chill in the breeze as it passed through the trees, and Jaune involuntarily shivered slightly as it passed over his exposed skin.

“C’mon, let’s get moving,” Ruby said, and the rest of them nodded in agreement, before all stalling.

“So, uh, sis, where are we going?” Yang asked, looking towards her sister and team leader.

Ruby froze, looking around. “Uh…” Her gaze traced around the clearing, before locking eyes with her fellow team leader.

“West?” Jaune offered, and Ruby nodded in agreement. “West it is!”

Eight Hunters-in-training began their trek through the emerald green trees and grass of the aptly named forest.

* * *

  


“You know, when you said we were all going to the Emerald Forest to hunt Grimm, I assumed we’d, you know, hunt some Grimm?”

Jaune sighed once again as Yang voiced her opinion. “Yang, it’s only been ten minutes. I’m certain we’ll be dealing with incredibly dangerous circumstances with a massive amount of Grimm at any moment.”

A exhalation was the only sign of humour from Blake, a slight smirk on her face.

“Um, speaking of…” Ruby began, and the group swiveled their heads to face the direction the scythe-wielder was looking.

The crimsonette was staring at a tree that looked like it had been split down the middle, a massive rent in the log visible, the ground covered in splinters.

“Whatever did that doesn’t look friendly,” Pyrrha offered, and Jaune nodded in agreement.

“Weapons ready, guys, partner up. We’re getting close to something big, and we can’t afford to be messing around,” Jaune said, and the rest responded by loading, cocking and drawing the various weapons that made their group so unique.

Amongst the click-clacks and metal scrapes of their weapons being drawn, Jaune swore he heard a sound.

His shield raised to position, and he noted out of the corner of his eye as Pyrrha did the same, the two most defensive students instinctively preparing themselves to act as the teams bulwarks against whatever incoming attack was impending.

_ Sixth Sense _ triggered before he saw what was pushing their position, so the sudden assortment of Grimm that flowed out of the bushes didn’t catch him too off-guard, but it wasn’t fast enough to provide him with enough time to react as he was pushed into the defensive right off the bat.

His shield clanged as the Beowolf’s claws impacted, but he buried the blade of Crocea Mors into its stomach almost immediately afterwards, and the creature howled in pain, only to be cut off as a bullet entered its face and exited the rear of its head, taking a considerable chunk along with it.

He didn’t even have time to thank whoever it was that ended the Grimm as more onset themselves against his shield.

Another Beowolf set itself upon him and he blocked, stabbed, slashed and bashed to the best of his ability, carving his way through the constant enemy onslaught alongside both his and Ruby’s team.

One slice after another, bullets flying over his head, and Jaune continued to fight alongside his friends.

The flow of Grimm slowed to a trickle after some time, and finally they managed to clear the area.

Jaune stayed standing as the rest, even Pyrrha, slumped to the ground, exhaustion almost palpable.

“That enough excitement for you, Yang?” Jaune asked through rapid breaths, leaning against the pommel of his sword, blade buried in the dirt.

An exhausted laugh escaped his fellow blonde’s lips. “Yeah, I’m all good for today.”

“Jaune, how are you even still standing?” Weiss asked, and Jaune let out a weak chuckle.

“What can I say, I’m tougher than I look,” He replied, even as his legs slowly but surely regained feeling. He was technically only standing because he was leaning against Crocea Mors, but he wasn’t about to fess up to that.

“You killing one Grimm makes you look tougher, Jaune,” Yang remarked, and Ruby reached over to weakly slap her sister.

“You wound me,” Jaune said, feigning injury, a smile on his face.

He waited a moment, until everyone was busy recovering, and discreetly began checking the notifications that had popped up.

** [Encounter Complete!] **

** [You gained 5520 XP!] **

** [Level Up!] **

** [You are now Level 7!] **

** [+5 Skill Points!] **

** [Skills have leveled!] **

** [ ** _** Weapon Proficiency: One-handed Melee  ** _ ** has reached Level 7!] **

** [ ** _** Weapon Proficiency: Shield  ** _ ** has reached Level 7!] **

** [ ** _** Shield Bash ** _ ** has reached Level 7!] **

** [ ** _** Shield Bash ** _ ** now costs 15 SP!] **

** [For excessive physical exercise, you have gained 1 point of STR and 1 point of END!] **

Well, that was all great. Jaune was level 7, and so was his most used physical combat skills!

Jaune cheered internally at that, happy to see that his hard work was paying off.

“So, do we head back now?” Blake asked, looking around the area.

Jaune scratched at the back of his head, hoping to at least sway the attention he might’ve gathered, seeing as he’d been staring into space with a giddy smile. “Uh, I don’t know. Sure?”

“Real commanding presence, scraggly,” Yang quipped, and Jaune glared at her.

“I’m not scraggly!” He exclaimed, before giving himself a once over.

“Am I scraggly?” He asked the somewhat-entertained crowd.

“Yep!” Nora answered for the group, popping the ‘P’.

“Don’t worry, Jaune, you still have time to grow into your frame,” Pyrrha said from the sidelines.

Jaune sighed. “Thanks, Pyrrha.”

The group began to stand up, preparing to make their way back east and reunite with their pilot.

A cacophonous screeching dissuaded them of that notion rather quickly.

* * *

  


Eight figures broke through the leafy cover as they ran, an all-out sprint as fast as they could possibly move without leaving the others behind.

Behind them, a massive heron-like bird soared overhead, and as they cried out warnings to each other the rain of metallic gold-orange feathers impacted the ground around them.

Jaune wasn’t as lucky as some of his more agile teammates, and one such feather impacted against his shield, and thanks to some well-thought-out forethought, his shield was extended and placed against his back.

It knocked him over, of course, but it didn’t do more than bruise his pride, and as he stumbled head over heels through a shrub he managed to get a glance at the creature that pursued them.

Ever quick on the draw, he  _ observed _ it.

** [Stymphalian] **

** [Grimm, Level 6] **

Okay, that was bad. He’d never even heard of a Stymphalian before, and that was concerning.

He clambered to his feet and joined the rest of the running teams, a warning on what it was about to leave his lips.

“It’s a Stymphalian!” A voice that was not his own shouted, and Jaune looked to the source, his own partner running swiftly, one heeled boot after another pounding the ground in time with his own.

“Okay, that’s its name, anything else?” Jaune shouted back, a concerned look on his face.

“It’s like a really angry Mistralian Nevermore!” Pyrrha shouted, as she rolled forwards, a sharp bronze-coloured feather impacting in the dirt behind her, sending up the ground in a shower of clumpy particles.

“Can we fight it?” Ruby asked, her voice only just carrying across the distance between them, despite her shouting.

“We need range, lots of it. It’ll just pick us off one by one otherwise!” Pyrrha shouted back, and the group took that as permission to open fire as it soared over their heads.

“We need to separate, space ourselves out! If it swoops, we’ll all be caught out in it!” Jaune called out, and they began to distance themselves from each other, even as bullets and dust flew at the Stymphalian, of which’s bronze-coloured beak opened to deliver another punishingly loud screech.

Jaune winced at the sound, but set about channeling mana into his fingertips.

He loosed a shot, a  _ Mana Bullet _ careening through the air and impacting against the Stymphalian’s wing.

The giant bird-Grimm screeched again, and Jaune stared at the smoky hole he carved through its wing, severing tendons.

It wasn’t anywhere near significant enough to deal any kind of proper damage, and the Stymphalian seemed fine, the beast still airborne, but he’d done at least something to it. Crocea Mors wasn’t quite as effective at this range.

That wasn’t to say it wasn’t effective at blocking projectiles, and the return volley was mostly aimed in his direction, so up went his shield, the impacting feathers skittering off the metal with sharp clangs, and Jaune noted that Pyrrha was doing much the same as he.

_ Observe _ triggered at the behest of Jaune, the teen hoping for some kind of change in the health indicator.

** [Stymphalian] **

** [Grimm, Level 6] **

** [Health: Lightly Wounded] **

Well, it was something. He had to stay on the bright side, had to look at the silver lining, because not doing so was not only bad for his morale, and his teams, but also a great way to attract more Grimm.

“Crap!” Jaune swore, as the avian monster decided that the ranged bombardment wasn’t cutting it, swooping towards them.

Either Jaune needed to increase his luck stat or the Grimm thought he was the biggest threat, because that bronze-coloured beak was pointed right at him, red eyes staring him down with significant malicious intent, and Jaune realised this was an attack he couldn’t block.

A  _ Jump _ was needed, and so he did just that, coalescing Aura into his feet as he leaped into the air, just barely clearing the snapping beak of the bird and rolling to a landing on the other side, unharmed but in a state of minor shock.

He’d just jumped over a giant bird Grimm.

His parents were going to kill him.

The constant sound of gunfire halted, and Jaune looked around.

“Where’s it gone?” He asked, only to see the distant figure of Ruby point up at the sky.

He didn’t really need her to point it out, because almost straight after he asked the Stymphalian’s massive body blocked out the sun, casting a shadow over the hunters-in-training, and driving them into a state of mild panic.

“What’s it doing?!” Ruby cried out, and Pyrrha couldn’t answer, just as confused as the rest.

A screech echoed out over the surrounding area, and Jaune paled as the heron-like neck curled, before the bird-Grimm stretched out, head pointed down as it soared over their heads.

Sickly green smoke sprayed from its mouth, and Jaune, ever quick on the draw, realised something significant.

“Poison!” He shouted, running as fast as he could to the side of the aerosol-like toxin that sunk through the air towards the group.

“Weiss, Air Dust!” Blake shouted, and her partner felt herself jolt into action, the rotating cylinder of her weapon twisting until it reached the bright white powder.

A glyph appeared in the air and began twisting, spinning faster and faster in an effort to blow away the poison gas, but it didn’t last long as a bronze-coloured feather punctured through it, shattering it and causing the heiress to stumble backwards from the sheer force of the impact.

“Blake, get Weiss out of there! Ruby, break cover, split up! This thing’s to tough for us! We need to get back to Beacon!” Jaune shouted, and he watched as Blake swung in close to her partner, using her black ribbon like a grappling line, supporting her from a thick tree branch.

“We can’t just leave, Jaune! What about our ride!” Ruby called out, and Jaune swore to himself, having forgotten that detail.

“Damn it, you’re right. Someone call for our ride out of here, tell the pilot it’s hot!” Jaune said, and he watched as Yang withdrew her scroll, somewhat panicky as she swiped through number after number before reaching the one she wanted.

The gas had hit the ground by now, and thoroughly coated the area, but thankfully they’d made it out of the dangerous area, the toxic gas already beginning to dissipate somewhat.

Of course, that didn’t mean the threat had passed, and Jaune watched as a feather impaled the ground an inch away from his nose. What a way to show him not to forget to pay attention.

Even as he recoiled the barrage continued, thudding into place behind him as the colossal bird flew over him.

“Dust, that bird!” Weiss exclaimed, as she and Blake dropped in next to Jaune and Pyrrha, all four watching its flight path through the sky.

A shout careened over the distance between the two teams. “Our ride’s inbound!”

Jaune waved thanks to the blonde brawler as he considered their options. “We can’t leave with this bird on our tail, it’ll tear us to shreds. Any ideas?”

His teammates stared at him, and Jaune sighed. “Right, I’ll just come up with one. How about-”

Jaune didn’t finish his sentence, unless you counted the grunt of pain he loosed as a feather plunged into his arm, halving his aura and pinning his clothing into the dirt.

“Urgh!” Jaune grunted again as he face-planted, tasting dirt in his mouth.

“Jaune!” They all cried out in shock, quickly rushing to their leaders aid.

Jaune, for his part, clambered back to his feet, tearing a chunk of his hoodie away at the shoulder as he did so, the fabric still pinned underneath the pointed end of the feather.

“I’m fine!” He spluttered, spitting out the misplaced dirt as he faced the Stymphalian, and he was sure it was wearing a cocky expression.

“Should we just keep shooting at it, wear it down?” Pyrrha asked, and Jaune shrugged.

“I guess so, not like we’ve got much else to work with,” he answered, and the reply to that was for the three to open fire.

Ruby appeared to get the message just fine without any of them actually having to say anything aloud, as she and her team rejoined the veritable stream of varied projectiles they sent towards the avian Grimm.

Jaune waited a beat, before leveling another  _ Mana Bullet _ , releasing it when the bird came close enough that he was able to be accurate. He was no sniper, and it wasn’t like he had a scope, his aim was almost entirely instinctual.

Instinctual or not, he still hit, and the bird screeched.

“We’re getting to it!” Jaune cried out over the sounds of gunfire and pain that echoed amongst the Emerald Forest.

At that moment, the sound of their gunfire was almost completely drowned out by much louder, much larger guns that whirred to life, and a line of bullets traced their way through the air, cutting through the Stymphalian easily, the Grimm rolling in the air in order to put its bronze wings in the way of the oncoming fire.

The Bullhead had arrived, apparently, and the pilot was about as happy as the rest of them to see the airborne monster.

The aircraft swerved out of the way, coming around for a second strafing run, and Jaune watched as sparks flew off the Stymphalian’s wings.

An  _ Observe _ revealed that the bird was wounded, and Jaune was thankful for that. At this rate, they’d kill the damn thing and leave within a few minutes, and he could go back to his dorm and have a nice shower and a long sleep.

He needed it, not to mention how much he deserved it, with the amount of work he’d already put in today.

The Stymphalian screeched louder than ever before as rounds pelted its wings, the occasional shot puncturing through flesh and bone to cause irreparable damage to internal organs and tendons, and other inside-the-body things that Jaune couldn’t name off the top of his head.

“Yeah, get him!” Yang cheered from the distance, and Jaune could see Nora practically jumping up and down in excitement as the avian continued to screech in pain, dying slowly but surely.

It wasn’t done yet, though, and it spun around far faster than even the pilot had been expecting, and it flapped hard, dislodging the feathery projectiles at the aircraft.

Thankfully, it wasn’t significant damage, although the Bullhead was smoking slightly and missing a few plates of armor, but that wasn’t what concerned Jaune.

The Bullhead fired a final burst that entered and summarily exited the skull of the Stymphalian, and it began to plummet, building up speed as it uncontrollably swooped down, pointed to the ground at a steady angle.

Jaune began to slowly back up, as did the rest of AWBN, but it was going to fast.

They didn’t have time to dodge.

Jaune paled, focused, and stepped in front of his team, unleashing a colossal roar from the depths of his lungs, steeling his stance and tightening his grip on his shield.

Everything went black.

* * *

  


The hazy feeling of pain washed over him as he attempted to open his eyes, to dissuade the darkness that clouded his vision, but it was to no avail as even with eyelids stretched wide he couldn’t see anything.

“-une! Jaune!”

Jaune strained to hear, his name being repeated in a muffled chorus of voices.

“I’m under here!” He would’ve said from beneath the heavy weight that pressed down atop him, but his voice came out as a groan of pain, and no vocalised words.

He couldn’t see, still, but he did have a few tricks up his sleeve to attempt to alter that, and he was thankful that he had an awaiting series of notifications.

** [Encounter Complete!] **

** [You gained 4140 XP!] **

** [Level Up!] **

** [You are now Level 8!] **

** [+5 Skill Points!] **

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Field (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can cast a sphere of Mana around yourself, protecting you and those close by from harm. Mana Field can only take a certain amount of damage, and high enough damage dealt will pass straight through. Costs 8 MP/s. _ _** Level 6; XP 1440/2592. ** _ ** ] **

There were more, but Jaune didn’t exactly feel like sorting all that out at the moment, as he strained against the heavy mass that sat on him, pushing away at the black thing.

He assumed it was the Stymphalian corpse, it couldn’t really be anything else, and he continued to struggle away, attempting to free himself from the weight.

He could hear muffled groans from all around him, and he redoubled his efforts.

He wasn’t the only one underneath the corpse.

“C’mon, AWBN, push!” Jaune cried out, but it came out as a strained kind of hoarse whisper, with his lungs as crushed as they were.

He was making progress, though, ever so slowly.

His arms flopped back down an inch as his panting increased, and he realised something.

“Meters,” He murmured, and watched as another light source joined the notifications, the small window glowing slightly.

** [Jaune Arc|Level 8] **

** [XP: 3552/6144] **

** [HP: 180/180 (0.9/s)] **

** [SP: 180/180 (3.6/s)] **

** [MP: 0/180 (1.8/s)] **

** [AP: 240/1440 (0.36/s)] **

** [Exhausted I] **

Well, that explained a little. Exhaustion was preventing him from accessing his full stats, and even with his full stats he doubted his STR was high enough to lift a massive Grimm corpse off of him from a lying position.

He doubted even Yang could do that.

It was time to try something a little different.

He waited for almost a minute, and after a little bit of time he had enough Mana to focus it and channel it into his hand.

It formed much like a  _ Mana Bolt _ , but unlike  _ Mana Bolt _ he did not want it to shoot off and hit something at range.

No, this was more like a blast.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Blast (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you are now capable of firing a blast of Mana, which whilst short range is powerful enough to launch targets away, and knock targets prone, as well as reflect certain projectiles. Costs 60 MP per cast.  _ _** Level 1; XP 1/12. ** _ ** ] **

Any onlookers watching the corpse would’ve seen the immediate burst of black ichor that sprayed from the top of the dead Stymphalian, and they would’ve also seen the black-drenched figure of a shaky Jaune Arc climb out, hoodie torn asunder.

“Jaune!” The voices of RRYN called out, but Jaune had other things to focus on, as he searched around for Crocea Mors.

“Here, Jaune!” Ruby called out, and Jaune finally looked at the small scythe-wielder, who handed him his weapons. “They were on the ground just over there.”

Jaune gave the girl a nod, before he stabbed the blade into the corpse, and set about carving chunks from the already fading Grimm.

“Pyrrha, Blake and Weiss are still underneath. We need to help them,” Jaune said, an underlying calm in his voice he was certainly not feeling.

Ruby paled, and began cutting at the body alongside him.

The size of the Stymphalian meant it would take at least an hour for it to all fade away, and the rest of his team didn’t have that much time.

“Nora, blow up bits away from us!” Ruby called out to her partner. “Ren, Yang, get the other side and try and cut your way in!”

Her team followed her orders, and they systematically began lightening the corpse as best they could.

The Bullhead, having landed, noticed what was happening and taken off once more, maneuvered itself above the corpse, and as it hovered there Jaune watched as the pilot began lowering a cable.

Jaune grabbed it once it was within reach, and used the slack he was being fed to begin wrapping it around the strongest, least disintegrated parts of the avian.

He gave a wave to the Bullhead, and the engines whine ramped up in pitch as it began straining to lift, but Jaune paid it no mind as he continued to hack off excess weight, making the job all the less difficult for the aircraft.

After a couple minutes, the bird’s body was lifted almost three feet in the air, and Jaune quickly ducked underneath, closing in on the nearest of the three collapsed figures, grabbing them and carrying them back out, before he and Yang went in to retrieve the other two.

Pyrrha moaned in Yang’s arms whilst Weiss remained completely unconscious, and Blake, while awake, was barely coherent, a bleeding head wound concerning Ren, who was doing his best to administer first aid.

The cable trembled, but Jaune motioned to the pilot to release it, and the corpse payload unhooked, a loud thump sending a wave of dust into their faces.

The pilot was quick to land regardless, and as all the members of RRYN plus Jaune carried the rest of the members of AWBN into the rear of the aircraft Jaune remembered something.

He dropped back out and quickly scanned across the ground, gaze tracing over the dirt until he found what he was looking for.

A small stack of items awaited him, set in a neat pile.

He didn’t even look at them, quickly and quietly scooping them into his inventory before quickly climbing back into the Bullhead, Ruby urging the pilot to head for Beacon.

He leaned back into a seat as the aircraft accelerated at a speed that Jaune didn’t think possible and yet was thankful for, the eight closing on their academy faster than ever before.

Jaune could tell Ruby was worried, but he could barely feel anything. Exhaustion was trying to make him sleep, and it was an active struggle to prevent himself from drifting off, with only his sheer willpower keeping him at least somewhat coherent.

He was starting to think that maybe he wasn’t immune to injuries, and that was the last thought to pass through his mind before the world, once again, went dark.

* * *

  


  
  
  



	10. Through the Window! To the Floor!

* * *

  


One fist after the other met the punching bag, until the bag itself ruptured, spitting sand across the floor of the gym.

“Shit.”

Hands reached down in a vain attempt to clean up the mess, but it was a poor effort, only made more apparent as sand continued to spill from the wound.

Rump met sandy floor, and fists slammed against the ground in anger, as a sigh permeated the air.

Yang’s head gently thumped against the floor as she lay down, sand piling slowly on her chest as she lay there, uncaring.

“Are you okay, Yang?”

She twisted her head, noticing her partner enter the gym, a concerned look on his face.

“Hey, Ren. I’m fine,” Yang said, from her spot on the floor.

“So you say,” Ren spoke, eyeing the blonde girl as she sat up, brushing the sand off of her.

“I… I just wished we could’ve done more, you know?”

The brawler unhooked the punching bag from its hook and dragged it to the edge of the gym, grabbing a replacement and stringing it up.

“I understand how you feel. I’m much in the same boat, as it were.”

Yang eyed the boy, calm demeanour a sharp contrast to her own. Her fist lashed out, striking the bag once more, and she started a steady rhythm.

“We should’ve been stronger.”

THUD!

“We should’ve been faster!”

THUD!

“We should’ve…”

THUD!

Ren stepped closer, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “We did all we could, Yang. They’re alive, thankfully, and that’s the best outcome we could’ve hoped for.”

Lilac met pale pink as the two stared at each other.

“Yang! They’ve woken up!”

The voice was indistinguishably their team leader, and that hypothesis was proven even more true as she sped into the room.

The partners shared a glance with their speedy leader, before following her at a brisk pace.

* * *

  


When Weiss opened her eyes, the last person she expected to be sat in a chair at the end of her bed was her blond leader.

She also didn’t expect for him to be asleep, and as she looked around she realised she didn’t expect to wake up in Beacon’s infirmary.

Nor did she expect to see Blake and Pyrrha lying asleep in their own hospital beds just down from her.

Her mind flickered back to its last memory.

Darkness.

Weiss flinched involuntarily, hands against her forehead, as she remembered.

Even as her palms came away, coated in the cold sweat that covered her body, she couldn’t stop remembering.

She’d been crushed by that giant bird Grimm. So had Jaune, Pyrrha and Blake.

And yet, Jaune was the only one not in a hospital bed, despite the one to take the brunt of the impact.

Actually…

Had he?

He’d done something, she’d seen it, right before they’d been hit, he’d thrown his hands up and roared.

He’d glowed, and so had the sphere of power that had appeared.

Aura, semblance, whatever it was, it just added another capability to him, and she thought she’d almost beaten him in their fight.

Weiss let out a near imperceptible laugh under her breath, as she looked at her team leader.

Her, leading AWBN?

She’d been a fool. A wilful, spoilt fool.

“Glad to see you find out suffering funny, Weiss.”

Ice blue locked on to amber as Weiss looked at her partner, a frown on her face.

“Hmph. I don’t find out pain funny in the slightest.” Her gaze softened slightly, as she gave her partner a once over. “How do you feel?”

Blake gave the heiress a rare smile, before attempting to stretch. A hiss of pain escaped her lips. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

“Likewise. At least the Stymphalian is dead,” Weiss said, as the two turned their gaze to Pyrrha.

The invincible girl was out like a light.

“So, do we ask our fearless leader exactly what it was he did to save us?” Blake asked, and Weiss shook her head.

“Not now. We’ll discuss it with Pyrrha first, she deserves to know as much as we do. I think our leader is hiding something. His semblance is… unthinkable.”

Blake’s face joined Weiss’s, scrunched up in thought.

* * *

  


“Dust, it’s good to see you guys awake!” Yang exclaimed, as team AWBN gave the vocal blonde a chorus of relatively polite thanks.

“Yeah, we were so worried when the birdy hit you!” Nora cried out, latching onto Ren as she jumped up and down. “But you’re fine now, and the birdy died, so we’re all safe!”

“We didn’t really know what to do, but Jaune stepped up to the plate, and made sure we got you guys out!” Ruby said, taking a seat next to the boy in question.

“Heh, yeah, I just tried my hardest, that’s all,” Jaune admitted, scratching at the back of his head.

That had Weiss’s suspicion on its highest alert.

“We thank you, all of you, but do you mind giving us a moment to talk as a team?” Weiss asked, and four confused faces whipped around to face the heiress.

Ren was not one of these faces, and he motioned to the rest of RRYN, the group stepping outside.

Blake was thinking along the same wavelength as her partner, and faced the confused blond. “Jaune, we saw you get hit first. How did you order around RRYN?”

Jaune dropped the facade of his typical happy-go-lucky expression, and it was then that his team noticed the bags under his eyes.

“I…”

He took a breath, exhaling deeply.

“I got trapped under their, the same as you guys. My Aura, it’s… big. Really big. Even then it dropped me really, really low. I used my semblance to blast a hole in the corpse and climbed out,” Jaune explained.

“I was worried about you guys, I didn’t know what to do, and suddenly I did. I just… I…” Jaune felt himself stop, and the words he wanted to say wouldn’t, couldn’t, didn’t leave his mouth.

“Jaune, what did you do, right before it hit? I swear I saw a glowing ball of... “ Pyrrha began, and Weiss and Blake both nodded right alongside her.

“A field, something I didn’t realise I could do until just then. Kind of a spur of the moment thing.” That happy-go-lucky facade had real parts to it, apparently, as his hand scratched the back of his head, something his team was realising was a kind of nervous tic.

“Jaune, what can you do?” Weiss asked, the simple question stumping him.

Silence filled the infirmary as he thought.

“I… don’t know. So far, a lot of things. I haven’t really found a limit yet, to be honest.”

Weiss’s eyes weren’t the only ones that widened at that.

“What is your semblance?!” She exclaimed.

Jaune went silent once more.

His mother had always said honesty was the best policy.

“I can’t tell you.”

She had never said he had to tell the whole truth, though, and Jaune had had some time to think about it.

“What?!” Weiss exclaimed again.

“Headmaster Ozpin told me not to speak to anyone about my semblance, Weiss. It’s not that I don’t trust you guys, I do, it’s because you’re my teammates. According to the headmaster, my semblance is dangerous in the wrong hands, and he says that you might be hostages!”

The truth Jaune could reveal spilled out of his mouth, nearly acting on its own accord. He’d never been a very good liar, and he was even worse at keeping secrets like this. Not that he’d had many secrets like this, of course, but still.

His team were, as expected, wary of this revelation, but Jaune didn’t care. He couldn’t keep hiding this from them, and the more he did the more danger they were in.

If they didn’t at least know of his capabilities, they’d put themselves in danger for no good reason.

“You dunce.”

The heiress’s admission shocked even her, but she quickly regained her senses, which had suddenly taken leave. “You should’ve just told us that in the beginning! I told you to tell me what you could do, after our fight!”

There was that head-scratch again. “I…”

“No, Arc! This is unacceptable! If we’re in danger, we deserve to know!” She exclaimed, and both Blake and Pyrrha nodded.

“Besides, Jaune, we are perfectly capable of defending ourselves. Why didn’t you just tell us in the first place?” Pyrrha was wearing the most intense look Jaune had seen to date, although in retrospect it wasn’t intensive even slightly.

“I was worried, no, scared you wouldn’t want me to be your leader anymore. I was scared you’d just move to a different team,” the blond muttered, placing a hand on his head.

“Well, this makes the second time you’ve rescued me, Jaune. I hope it’ll be the last.”

Jaune raised his head to see those amber eyes looking at him, a small smirk gracing her face.

“Heh. Do you want me to figure out a way for you to pay me back?” Jaune asked, and Blake pelted her leader with the pillow that sat just behind her, on her hospital bed.

“Don’t start getting any bright ideas. Just because you live in a dorm with three girls doesn’t mean what you think it does!”

Jaune laughed that one up, much to Blake’s chagrin. “Three girls? Please. I have seven sisters, you think the three of you scare me?”

Most of what Jaune had said was lost on his three teammates as they heard the words ‘seven sisters’.

* * *

  


The elevator to the headmaster’s office wasn’t a particularly long ride, but as Jaune stood in it he decided to take advantage of the time he did have, and brought up those neglected notifications.

** [Skills have leveled!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Bullet ** _ ** has reached Level 6!] **

** [ ** _** Battle Cry ** _ ** has reached Level 7!] **

** [ ** _** Aura Control ** _ ** has reached Level 6!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Field ** _ ** now costs 7 MP/s, and has a higher damage threshold!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Bullet ** _ ** now costs 49 MP to cast, and has an additional projectile!] **

** [ ** _** Aura Control ** _ ** now offers a stronger, better form of control over your Aura, and now requires less concentration to wield and train!] **

Jaune dismissed the notifications as he stepped out of the elevator, the ding alerting the headmaster to his expected visitor.

The grey-haired man spun in his chair, and faced Jaune, who stopped moving, simply standing in front of the headmaster’s desk.

“Well, Mr Arc, it would seem you have a penchant for molding my advice to suit your needs.”

Jaune struggled, resisting the urge to reach his hand up to the back of his neck.

“When I said don’t tell them, Mr Arc, I suppose I didn’t specify, and whilst it wasn’t an order, it was a suggestion. Don’t take that as my being angry, though, Mr Arc, you did what you thought was right, and that is already proving my original thoughts about you wrong.”

Jaune had to mentally force his hand to stay in place.

“However, Mr Arc, don’t think for one second that you are free to do as you please with your power. There is an ancient line about great power and responsibility, and I think we both know it well.”

His hand strayed ever closed to his neck. Jaune was rapidly losing this battle of wits with his own arm.

“So, Mr Arc. Show me what you can do.”

That caught Jaune so off guard his arm dropped back into place against his side. “Come again, sir?”

“I said, Mr Arc, show me what you can do.”

Ozpin stood with a speed that belied his age, cane flicking faster than Jaune could blink and striking him on the shoulder.

The teen stumbled back, and he paled as the headmaster stepped forwards, cane twirling in his grip.

“Come along, Mr Arc, I don’t remember having all day,” Ozpin said, as he came ever closer.

“If that’s what you want, sir!” Jaune shouted, leaping backwards.

He was without his weapons, and dressed in his Beacon uniform he wasn’t wearing any of his armor, but that didn’t mean he was unarmed.

If anything, Jaune was glad to know he would never be weaponless.

Jaune raised his hands in defiance of the approaching man, and willed a  _ Mana Blast _ into existence, the pure Mana flowing out of his hands in a burst of arcane energy.

Ozpin lifted his cane, and attempted to block the attack, and whilst it was an effective block for him, it still pushed him back, and shattered every window in the office.

The sudden gusts of wind swirled into the room and began scooping up various bits of paperwork, sending them scattering across the horizon, but Jaune was too busy to care about any of that.

The headmaster sent an overhand blow at Jaune, and as he rolled backwards out of the way he looked up to see the point of the cane impact against his chest, driving the air from his lungs and sapping a not-so-insignificant amount of Aura from his body.

“ Urgh!” He coughed out, and he retaliated with a well-placed  _ Mana Bullet _ , but to his surprise two bullets left his hand, and the headmaster reacted to the first.

His cane flicked forwards, and the first projectile dissipated, but the second impacted against the older man’s Aura, and Jaune saw the telltale emerald flicker that indicated he’d struck a blow.

Not that he’d get the chance again, as the headmaster saw that as a sign to ramp up his attack.

That damned cane came at him from all sides at once, and Jaune couldn’t react to a single one, as it rapidly whittled down his Aura, blow after blow after blow hitting him until it was impossible to tell what was lingering pain and what was fresh.

It even seemed to overwhelm  _ System Body _ , because the pain would be eradicated, only to be replaced once again.

He hastily cast  _ Mana Field _ to try and buy himself some time, and whilst it did technically buy him time, the amount was sorely lacking, as the field shattered under the impressive speed the headmaster struck at.

Jaune still had an abundance of Mana to use, though, and even though the headmaster had dropped him to roughly 500 AP, he wasn’t about to give up.

Jaune rolled backwards, just out of the way of the onslaught, and quickly cast  _ Mana Bullet _ , the orbs flying through the air at speeds that rivalled actual bullets, but Ozpin simply battered them away with his cane, unwilling to fall for the same trick twice.

That was what Jaune was hoping for, though, and as the headmaster’s cane was in the air, Jaune impacted with Ozpin at full sprint,  _ Battering Ram _ active as the two soared out the shattered window.

Ozpin’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly as Jaune practically straddled him mid-air, the teen’s fists clenched, raining down blows on the powerful man.

Fist met face as they fell, and Jaune leapt off the older man to gain some distance, as he crashed into the roof, slightly dazed.

Jaune wasn’t done yet, though, as he activated what was effectively his trump card. And he had just enough Mana to do so.

_ Mana Impact _ cast, and Jaune fell through the air, arcane energy pooling around his feet, and he landed in a second, the shockwave scattering roof tiles like the paperwork that still drifted about the sky lazily.

Jaune waited, as the dust cleared, and it was evident to the teen that the headmaster wasn’t going to go down so easily.

He was out of Mana now, too, and whilst it was regenerating it wasn’t anywhere near fast enough to give him an out, especially considering the cane impacted with his face in that moment and launched Jaune head over heels off the side of the roof, where he fell to the grassy ground that was one of the many courtyards, the last of his Aura shattering on the impact.

“Ow…” Jaune muttered, as the headmaster landed next to him in a feat of dexterity that made him seem much sprightlier than his age would suggest.

“Well done, Mr Arc. You have much to learn, of course, but a valiant first effort. I do wish you hadn’t blown my office up, however. Neither one of us wishes to face Professor Goodwitch’s wrath, but this time I suppose I shall take the blame. I did instigate the fight, after all.”

Jaune groaned in pain from the small crater he’d made in the grass.

“Best get yourself cleaned up, Mr Arc. I believe your team is being let out of the infirmary shortly.”

Jaune groaned again, but he set about lifting himself out of the floor.

All he really wished for was one day, a single day, where he wouldn’t get attacked.

** [Encounter Complete!] **

** [You gained 500 XP!] **

** [Thanks to intense training, you gained +1 STR, +1 END and +1 AGI.] **

* * *

  


“Really, we appreciate the gesture, but was there any particular reason you decided to go so overboard?”

Weiss was rather effective at formulating the teams thoughts into words, as they were swamped by the outright gigantic bouquet of ‘get well’ flowers that dwarfed Jaune in both height and weight.

AWBN, or at least the three female members of AWBN had just been cleared, and team RRYN had decided to welcome them back in a fashion.

Ren had tried, admirably, to maybe scale back the size of the gift, but facing the might of Ruby, Yang and Nora proved to be far too much for the poor boy, and he’d folded under the pressure like a stack of cards that had been elbow-dropped through a table.

They’d ambushed the recovered teens in the hallway just outside the dorms, partly because that was where they had the most space to talk, and partly because they couldn’t actually fit the bundle of flowers into one of the dorm rooms.

Well, either of the dorm rooms, but seeing as the inside of RRYN’s dorm room had the beds stacked in unsafe approximations of bunkbeds meant that a single misplaced nudge could, and probably inevitably would, kill someone.

“Thanks, guys, but Weiss is kind of right. Where are we even going to put this?” Jaune was pretty much asking himself more than anyone else.

Maybe it’d fit in his inventory?

“A vase, duh! C’mon, Jaune, how come you didn’t figure that out!” Nora exclaimed, and the deadpan stare from the monochromatic partners failed to dissuade the excitable ginger of any notion that may or may not have been present in her mind at the time.

The group decided that the flowers would be more at home in the courtyard, and so they half-carried half-dragged the oversized bouquet outside, where they ‘planted’ it into the ground.

By planted Jaune meant Nora picked it up and jammed the stems into the dirt with enough force to dig them deep enough that Jaune doubted an angry Beowolf could remove them.

It did mean that the bouquet situation was dealt with, though, so the teen wasn’t too concerned.

Once they entered the dorms again, the eight decided to find an empty common room, and set about relaxing.

Of course, that meant different things to each of them, and whilst a few where content to sit back and do nothing, others were more concerned with the past few days they’d missed.

“Jaune, you did take notes in class for us to look at, didn’t you?” Weiss asked, and Jaune blanched.

“Uhh…” He began, only for Yang to lean in with a wide grin on her face.

“I’m certain he would’ve, Ice Queen, but Jauney hasn’t actually been to any classes since we got back!” She exclaimed with a malicious amount of enjoyment.

Weiss’s glare locked onto Jaune, and his hand went to the back of his head for all of a second.

“I was busy making sure you guys were okay?” Jaune ventured, and Weiss gave it a single moment of consideration.

“If you wanted to make sure we were okay, you should’ve taken notes for us so we didn’t miss classwork!”

Jaune flinched. “Sorry?”

“Ugh,” Weiss groaned, before walking over to Ren to ask for his notes.

Jaune turned to his fellow blonde. “Thanks, Yang,” He said with just a hint of sarcasm.

Yang gave him a cheeky grin. “No problem, Jauney!”

The eight settled back into the various armchairs, couches and bean-bags that were scattered across the common room.

“So, Jaune, how was the meeting with Professor Ozpin?” Ruby asked, and Jaune gave a nervous chuckle.

There was no sense in hiding what had happened, anyway.

“He challenged me to a fight,” Jaune said, and seven heads whipped around to face him, expressions varying from conflicted interest to complete fascination.

“What? Why?” Ruby asked, half in shock.

“He wanted to see what I could do. So I did as he asked,” Jaune replied.

“Oh yeah? What’d you do, get thrown through a window?” Yang threw that comment out into the open, and whilst she’d been meaning it as some offhand comment designed to tease the boy, his answer caught her off guard.

“I mean, kind of? I kinda shoulder-charged him through the already broken window, and slammed into him from midair. There’s probably still a crater in the dirt from where he tossed me afterwards.”

A stunned silence filled the common room, and Jaune felt that urge to scratch the back of his head, which he resisted with all his might.

“We have to spar now! You can’t issue a challenge like that and expect no one to answer!” Nora exclaimed, leaping to her feet.

“I didn’t issue a challenge?” Jaune, caught off guard, quirked an eyebrow in an approximation of confusion.

“Of course you did, silly! Come on, I’m sure there are plenty of places to fight!”

With that, Nora left the common room they’d barely gotten settled into, dragging Ren with her.

** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Sparring: Nora Valkyrie ** _ ** ] **

** [Defeat Nora Valkyrie in single combat, and prove your worth as a combatant!] **

** [Reward: 1500 XP, Skill Book] **

Well, Jaune wasn’t one to refuse a quest.

Although, he was starting to feel like maybe he should start becoming one to refuse a quest, because everyone else was looking at him like he was insane.

“What?”

* * *

  


  
  
  



	11. Insert 'Hammer Time' Joke Here

* * *

Jaune was terrified, and he wasn’t ashamed of that.

Terror was a natural feeling when staring down the business-end of a grenade launcher that could turn into a massive warhammer, at the behest of the frankly impressively strong girl that hefted it, her beaming grin doing nothing to dissuade him of his worry-turned-fear.

“Kick his ass, Nora!” Yang cheered, from the sidelines.

“Prove our team as the better, Arc!” Weiss exclaimed from the other side.

Jaune wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing Weiss was siding with him.

Pyrrha had stepped up to officiate once again, as the only one of them who had any modicum of experience in professional fighting, and she began to countdown. “3. 2. 1. Begin!”

Jaune yelped as the countdown came to an end and a grenade blew up where he had been standing only moments before, a lucky dodge clearing him of the significant impact, and even more significant shockwave it created.

His luck didn’t get better, though, as another of those bright pink projectiles came hurtling towards him, and he reacted instinctively, raising his shield in an attempt to block.

He opened his eyes a full second later to find himself on the ground in a smoking crater, a rapidly approaching Nora bearing down on his collapsed position.

He didn’t know what had happened, but as he tried to stand and his head decided to act as woozy as possible before it was nullified by  _System Mind_ , he realised that the impact had been way, way too much to try and block without some kind of assistance.

It hadn’t cost him too much Aura, thankfully, but at the same time there was only so much he could do to prevent the hammer-wielding terror from breaking through his now apparently meager defense.

Defensive wasn’t going to cut it, that much was obvious, but he’d be crippled in a direct melee confrontation, so as Jaune leapt to the side of the arcing hammer blow that struck the blackened tile with enough force to break an Ursa, he readied an attack.

Nora swung at him, hammer whistling as it travelled through the air at speed, but the sudden cessation of motion not only threw her off her game, but also threw her backwards, head over heels, as the full potency of a _Mana Blast_ struck her in the chest at almost point blank range.

It’d cost him a little over quarter of his Mana, but it had been effective, knocking nearly ten percent of her Aura off and sending her back far enough to put him out of range of that warhammer, at least for the time being.

He didn’t give Nora time to regain her composure as he decided the smartest decision he could make would be to pepper her with ranged attacks, so he cast  _Mana Bullet_ , the newly upgraded spell firing two shots for the cost of one, a mere 49 MP. Two casts had four high damaging bullets impact with the girl, but she wasn’t unable to defend herself.

Three of the four were blocked by the relentless spinning of that damned warhammer, and the fourth hit her in the thigh, displacing Aura but not doing anything significant enough to cease the leap that had her hurtling towards him, Magnhild held high above her head.

Jaune barely had time to formulate a plan as the head of the warhammer thudded against his hastily raised shield, and he felt the wind get knocked out of him as his shield was driven point-first into the tile.

Jaune locked eyes with Nora, and the girl gave him a vicious grin as she wound up for a swing against the undefended boy, but Jaune gave up all pretenses of trying to fight fair.

He released his grip on his shield, stepped into her swing, and punched her in the nose.

If Jaune had been terrified before, what he was experiencing now was nothing short of absolute, untainted horror.

The punch didn’t do anything. In fact, the girl just grinned harder as the hammer impacted against his undefended side, launching him sideways, fast.

If it weren’t for the projected shield that covered the arena he would’ve penetrated the stands and probably ended up exiting the training hall through an impromptu exit in the form of a Jaune shaped hole in the wall.

As it was, Jaune, even with the inexplicably large amount of Aura he had at his disposal, felt the impact hit him hard enough to completely destroy 50% of it.

It hurt, a lot.

Enough to completely overwhelm _System Body_ for a split-second, and he gasped and wheezed from his prone position at the edge of the ring.

But now, Jaune was determined.

He wouldn’t let Nora win, there was absolutely no way. He wouldn’t lose. He couldn’t lose.

He crawled to his feet slowly, staggering slightly to the side, and as Nora approached, secretly impressed with the teens ability to handle such a powerful blow, he bared his teeth in a loose approximation of a grin.

Nora cocked her head at that, but Jaune didn’t give her any more time to ponder what he was grinning at as he rushed her, in a headlong  _Sprint._

Crocea Mors felt light in his hand, and he got close enough to the girl to swing, but she went on the defensive, blocking his blade with the metal handle of Magnhild, but Jaune wasn’t done, not by a long shot.

He had a free hand, after all.

He swung again, and as Nora blocked the strike a second time she felt her Aura flare instinctively as she buckled suddenly from the impact.

Jaune, free hand pointed at her stomach, stepped back a pace, the remnant Mana still smoking off the tip of his fingers from the point blank _Spinning Mana Bullet_ he’d practically placed within Nora’s unguarded midsection.

That’d burnt a considerable amount of Aura from the girl, who most definitely hadn’t been expecting it. Instinctive Aura defense seemed less effective than deliberate, and for that Jaune was incredibly thankful.

Of course, the girl was about to smack him aside again, so he decided to postpone being thankful and instead cast  _Mana Field_ , doing his best to back up as he did so.

The light-blue glowing sphere that covered him tried, it really did, but Nora shattered it as if it was a mere afterthought, the impact of the hammer sending up a spray of shattered tiling and dust into the air with such velocity Jaune had no doubt that if here were to be struck a second time not only his Aura but his spine would break from the impact.

Before Jaune had gotten so competitive, Nora was perfectly aware of how much force she needed to apply to shatter his Aura without breaking anything, despite her constant reinforcement of what her favourite hobby was, but now that favourite hobby had rapidly overtaken the rational part of her mind, and Nora wanted to do nothing more than win.

At any cost.

That cost was shaping up more and more to be Jaune’s ability to walk, and Nora was more than prepared to cash out.

Jaune gulped as Nora swung again, but he ducked under the swing, nearly going prone in the process, and the warhammer sailed over his head, but Nora’s relentless strength made that a moot point as she simply brought the momentum of the weapon under her control as she made to swing once more.

Jaune needed defense, something strong enough to block the attack, but _Mana Field_ wasn’t going to cut it, it spread Mana out too far and too wide.

He lifted his hand, congealing Mana in the tips of his fingers, and concentrated, as the hammer closed in, inch by inch passing as if time itself was slowed to a crawl.

A far smaller, flatter plane of Mana appeared in front of his hand, and Nora, intent on smashing it like she did before, felt a shudder run all the way down Magnhild’s grip, down her arm, and violently rattle her body.

Jaune’s widened eyes stared at the impact point, as did hers, and the two stared in surprise at the floating shield that hovered just out of Jaune’s reach, edges cracked from the impact.

There was a notification to go along with the situation, but Jaune decided to file that for later as he took advantage of his situation, a roar escaping his lips as he drained the final bits of Mana he had at his disposal, a joint triggering of _Battle Cry_ and _Mana Slash_ filling the battleground as Crocea Mors swung through the air, unleashing a pure blade of Mana into Nora, hitting the girl lengthways and sending her backwards, Aura dropping rapidly as it absorbed the damage.

“End of the match! Nora’s Aura has been dropped into the red, Jaune wins!” Pyrrha exclaimed, no small amount of pride in her voice, and Jaune gave a weak cheer, before dropping to one knee and panting hard.

Exhaustion was becoming something he was getting intimately familiar with, now, and that was dangerous. _Battle Cry_ was inherently useful to him, but it was the side-effect that was the most detrimental to him.

Considering the majority of his anti-person arsenal was magic-based, it meant he spent a lot of Mana per engagement, and his Mana pool, which he’d previously thought to be overkill, now seemed miniscule in comparison to the sheer amount of spells he cast in each battle.

That wasn’t even considering his constant affliction of Exhaustion, courtesy of his near failure every single battle. He was practically scraping through every encounter by the barest of margins, and that was starting to get old.

Speaking of encounters, Jaune decided that thinking to himself about his situation could come later, and helping-slash-congratulating Nora would be his first priority.

The girl hadn’t lost any of her excitement due to defeat, however, and it honestly seemed like she’d only gained energy, from the looks of things.

Well, now that Jaune looked closer, he realised that wasn’t true. Adrenaline was still flowing through the both of them, but Jaune could tell she was more beat up than she let on, as her team surrounded her, issuing congratulations.

Jaune’s own team were approaching him, but he made an effort to speak to Nora first. “Good fight, Nora. You really had me on the ropes for a lot of it.”

Nora beamed at him. “You did really good, too! You beat me fair and square, and there aren’t that many people who can do that, especially when I go all out!”

Jaune involuntarily shuddered at the memory of being struck by that hammer, and decided that repressing that was going to best for his continued sanity.

“I have to admit, Arc, you keep bringing new tricks out of your sleeve at the last possible moment, don’t you.”

Jaune resisted that permanent head-scratching urge as he stepped back, allowing his team to join the conversation. “I, uh… I don’t mean too?”

“It is rather impressive, your ability to counter and attack with such a wide variety. You seem to serve as a perfect counter to most people’s fighting styles, Jaune,” Pyrrha informed him, and Jaune could tell she was eyeing him with a different look now. Less partnerly and more competitively, which almost made Jaune want to fight Nora again.

“You really think so?” He asked.

“I feel like even I’d struggle to get a grasp on your fighting style, Jaune. Your fight against Weiss proved that you can combat Dustcasters, and just now you proved you can handle strong opponents, so all you really have left to prove yourself against is agile fighters, like Blake or I,” Pyrrha explained, Blake nodding along in silent agreement.

“Well, before I prove myself anymore, can I get some sleep? That fight really took a lot out of me,” Jaune said with a laugh, and the others joined in his somewhat poor attempt at humour.

They decided to talk and walk, a smart decision considering the devastation they’d left in their wake, and being as far away from the scene of the crime was a good way to avoid both blame and the accompanying wrath of one soon-to-be irate Professor, who’d only just finished repairing a nearly destroyed office at the top of a tower.

* * *

Jaune sighed in relief as the hot water poured over his aching muscles, as he stood calmly in the shower, mentally preparing himself to look at his notifications.

**[Sparring Complete!]**

**[You gained 500XP!]**

**[Skill Created!]**

**[** _**Mana Shield (Active):** _ _Thanks to the System, you can project a shield of Mana somewhere around you, about the same size as a standard heater shield. It can be moved anywhere you wish within 5ft of yourself, as long as it is not solid. It can only take a certain amount of damage, and high enough damage will pass straight through. Costs 7 MP/s._ _**Level 4; XP 68/768.** _ **]**

**[Skills have leveled!]**

**[** _ **Mana Bullet**_ **has reached Level 7!]**

 **[** _ **Spinning Mana Bullet**_ **has reached Level 4!]**

 **[** _ **Mana Slash**_ **has reached Level 4!]**

 **[** _ **Weapon Proficiency: Unarmed Melee**_ **has reached Level 4!]**

 **[** _ **Mana Blast**_ **has reached Level 4!]**

**[Thanks to intense training, you’ve gained +1 END, +1 AGI, +1 LCK.]**

**[Quest Complete!]**

**[** _**Sparring: Nora Valkyrie** _ **]**

**[Reward: 1500 XP, 1 Skill Book]**

Well, that was a lot to take in, but the two important parts were the new skill, and the skill book.

Jaune couldn’t exactly read a skill book in the shower, or at least he didn’t think he could, but he could still look at it in his inventory, so that was what he did, bringing up the menu and checking the details on the item.

**[Skill Book]**

**[** _**Of Old Gods and Storms** _ **]**

**[** _From what you can tell, this book is a recollection of tales concerning various mythological gods._ **]**

Well, it didn’t tell him what the skill he would learn was, but even that was enough to clue him in to something.

No, that was a lie. He’d never heard of this book, and he had no idea what it would contain aside from what the information the System had told him. It sounded interesting, though, so maybe he’d read it once he got into his bed.

It wouldn’t be lights out for a little while, anyway, so it wasn’t that he was lacking time.

More importantly, once he’d washed himself, he was going to check his stats. It’d been a little while since he’d done that, and he felt he was deserving of a little update on himself.

**[STATS]**

**[Name: Jaune Arc]**

**[Title: Huntsman Novice]**

**[Level: 8]**

**[XP: 5552/6144]**

**[HP: 220/220 (1.1/s)]**

**[SP: 220/220 (4.4/s)]**

**[MP: 200/200 (2/s)]**

**[AP: 1760/1760 (0.44/s)**

**[STR: 20]**

**[END: 22]**

**[AGI: 15]**

**[INT: 20]**

**[WIS: 20]**

**[CHA: 12]**

**[LCK: 12]**

**[Skill Points: 25]**

**[Lien: 115]**

Jaune knew what his meters said, he checked them rather regularly, but it was still a bit of a shock to see that his charisma and luck were so low still. He’d have thought himself pretty lucky thus far, and somehow becoming friends with seven people, six of which were girls way out of his league, he’d have thought his charisma would be way, way higher.

But they weren’t the most important stats to him, not at this moment. Intelligence and wisdom were significantly more important, almost exclusively due to their ability to effect his Mana, something that needed improving.

Jaune had twenty-five skill points available to spend, but he didn’t want to spend them all, as having a backup would be important just in case a situation arose where he needed a certain amount of a stat.

So, with all that in mind, Jaune invested ten points into INT, and ten into WIS, with the hope it would improve his chances in a fight.

What Jaune was rewarded with was unexpected, but most definitely not unwelcome.

**[For reaching 25 INT, you have been awarded the perk Mana Tank]**

**[For reaching 25 WIS, you have been awarded the perk Mana Cognition]**

Jaune poked each of them, intent on learning exactly what they meant.

**[Mana Tank]**

**[Your access to the existence of magic and mana has increased, doubling your maximum MP pool.]**

**[Mana Cognition]**

**[Your understanding of the flow of mana has increased, doubling your MP regen rate.]**

Oh.

Oh!

That was undoubtedly excellent, as Jaune now had access to 600 MP total, with a regen rate of 6 MP per second.

Well, that had solved at least some of his problems concerning his rather life-threatening situations he’d been subjected to the past few weeks.

It also confirmed that he got specialised perks at or beyond the twenty-fifth digit of a certain stat. That meant when STR, END, AGI, CHA and LCK reached twenty-five he’d get a perk. What those perks would be Jaune didn’t know, but he was interested in finding out, that was for sure.

He’d tripled his Mana capabilities now, though, so that was good. He was actually pretty close to being able to constantly cast _Mana Field_ or _Mana Shield_ , to the point where he’d never be without a shield. It was kind of pointless at the moment, because not only would it prevent him from being able to move properly, but he’d also have no Mana regeneration, and both of the spells were quite weak at the moment, as evidenced by the fact that Nora easily broke the much larger _Mana Field_ with a single swing, and _Mana Shield_ had nearly broken from a half-strength blow that she’d delivered as a way to get back into a position for a more powerful wind-up.

Other than all that, though, he was pretty ecstatic about his situation.

Of course, he didn’t have much more time to muse over his good fortune as a knock sounded on the bathroom door, indicating that he’d spent far too much time inside it, and that the three girls waiting outside for their turn were about to give him some more violent encouragement.

Naturally, he towelled himself down as fast as humanly possible, before changing into his sleeping gear and stepping out into the dorm room, quickly stepping over to his bed and laying down.

He watched with mild interest as Weiss and Blake silently argued as to who was going to have the next shower only to see the two completely miss Pyrrha quietly sneak past the bickering pair.

The door shut to the stunned silence of the two, and Jaune’s light chuckle. They glared at him, and he surrendered immediately, reaching under his bed and discreetly pulling the skill book out of his inventory, pretending he’d retrieved it from underneath his mattress.

The title hadn’t changed since he’d last checked, unsurprisingly, but he looked it over just the same, eyeing the detail in the artwork that the cover so valiantly presented.

It was like a giant mural, painted so many years ago that the edges of the very wall it had been painted on had worn and chipped away, leaving crumbled marble in their place.

It was a photograph, one Jaune had never seen before, but that wasn’t even remotely surprising, as Jaune didn’t spend much time looking at photographs. It did peak his interest, however, and the concept that ancient ruins existed out in the wilderness was accentuated by the first sentence the book presented.

‘ _The wilderness of Mistral is untamed, dangerous, and full of ancient structures from times long past. Of such ruins, many still have their stories written down, whether in books much like this one or in other, more atypical methods, such as the mural on the cover of this very text, but regardless of which way they were recorded they all share one key feature. A plot, a hero, a story to tell. This text compiles many of the discovered stories, and I have personally spent months making sure they were as accurate as they are entertaining.’_

It was a note from the author, and Jaune sat back, wiggling his rear to get more comfortable, and began to read the first story.

* * *

He hadn’t gotten a skill.

He had, however, quite enjoyed the story the book had presented to him. It had been almost an hour, now, and there wasn’t much longer till the team would turn in for the evening, but Jaune wanted to keep reading, and so when he flipped to the next page, he realised something that was starting to become a common theme with skill books.

The entire chapter was blank, and as he flipped through page after page once again believing it to be a printing error he suddenly found himself on the third story.

That was… annoying. He’d actually wanted to read the second story, but he guessed that a skill was a reward worthy of the sacrifice of a part of his evening entertainment.

The corresponding notifications and confirmation boxes appeared when he attempted to learn the skill, and he accepted them all without a second thought, and the book glowed a light blue as he absorbed the knowledge.

He blinked back the effects of the already nullified headache as he regained his senses, and three pairs of eyes stared at him.

“Oh.”

‘Oh’ was right, because Jaune had forgotten that the three members of his team were still awake, and very much aware that Jaune had just made a book glow.

“Jaune, what did you just do?”

The sentiment, initially put forward by Blake, was quickly reinforced by the questioning glances Pyrrha and Weiss were giving him.

“ I, um… tried putting my Aura in the book?” Jaune ventured, a convenient excuse that was not at all convincing springing forth from his lips, courtesy of  _Deceitful Speech_ .

Orbs of amber, crystal and emerald locked with his own, and even he wasn’t dense enough not to notice that they didn’t believe him.

But, he decided to double down on the excuse regardless.

“I tried using my semblance on it, just to see what it would do.”

The stares became less questioning and more confused.

“Jaune, what would it do anyway? What possible situation could there be where you would need to use your semblance on a book?” Weiss asked, wondering if her leader hadn’t gotten more injured from Nora’s warhammer than he initially let on.

“Uh… In case we’re attacked by books? Or fighting in the library?” Jaune answered, internally cringing at the words that came flying out of his mouth of their own accord.

The second excuse was somewhat reasonable. The first was ridiculous. Jaune didn’t know what to say for himself, except that maybe he should just shut up and not lie anymore, but that notion was dissuaded by the unbidden memory of the Headmaster’s warning.

“I… No, you know what, Arc? I don’t care. You do whatever you want with your semblance, it’ll probably work anyway. I don’t even want to start getting into the details of whatever your semblance is, especially after what you said. Just, don’t be so blatant, please?” Weiss addressed him directly, before rolling onto her side in her bed and promptly attempting to go to sleep, hoping to have forgotten the strange incident in the morning.

“Uh, yeah, right. Will do. Sleep well, everyone.”

The rest of AWBN decided to pack it in then and there, getting comfortable in the evening moonlight as the lamps were switched off.

They had a busy morning up ahead, with a planned excursion to the Forever Fall in the company of Professor Goodwitch, and that wasn’t even what Jaune was dreading.

No, Jaune was dreading the skill he’d just learned.

**[Skill Learned!]**

**[** _**Elemental Infusion (Active):** _ _Thanks to the System, you can now infuse spells with elements! Elementally infused spells will do increased damage, and have unique effects based on the element infused. Increases cast cost by 10%._ **]**

**[Subskills: Lightning Infusion]**

He was going to electrocute himself.

* * *

  
  
  



	12. Bears and Wolves and Blonds, Oh My!

* * *

“Alright students, considering the abnormally large influx of Grimm as of recently, I want all of you to be completely aware of your surroundings, and in perfect understanding about your capabilities as yourself and as a team. Do not pick fights you cannot win, and make sure you stay vigilant. Now, take your jars, and begin filling them with Red Sap!”

AWBN and RRYN did as Professor Goodwitch instructed, grabbing a jar each, and setting out for a nice open clearing somewhere away from the veritable horde of other students.

**[** _ **System Body**_ **has nullified effects of Red Sap Allergy!]**

Jaune instinctively rubbed his nose when he read that, despite the actual contents of the notification. He didn’t know he’d had an allergy to Red Sap.

Although, he technically didn’t now anyway.

Now wasn’t the time to consider allergic possibilities, especially considering how deep into enemy territory he and his team was.

Time for some excellent leadership from the one and only leader of AWBN.

“Alright AWBN! Let’s get this sap, and get out of here as soon as we can!” Jaune exclaimed.

Blake and Weiss dead-stared at him, and Pyrrha uttered a giggle, tinged with mild embarrassment.

“Or… we could just tap the tree in this clearing, and sit around until the jars are full,” Jaune said, less excited.

“That would be preferable, yes. As the leader, I assume you will be sapping the trees?” Weiss asked.

Jaune opened his mouth to object, but decided against it, instead taking a hold of the jars and drawing his sword, stabbing it into the trunk of the nearest, largest tree.

Red, viscous liquid began dripping from the wound, and Jaune quickly placed one of the jars underneath, the glass slowly but steadily filling up.

Now, he was going to do something he’d been looking forward to for a little while now. Something he’d been preparing for quite a while.

A silent _Observe_ was uttered, the teen’s eyes locked on that red gel.

**[Red Sap]**

**[A sap found in certain trees amongst the Forever Fall, it’s red colour is a product of the unique environment it is found in. It gives off a faint sweet scent that Grimm are strangely attracted to. It is used as a common ingredient in healing potions.]**

Well, that was nice to know. Jaune would have to inquire about getting a few more jars of this.

That wasn’t what he’d been preparing for though.

**[A skill has leveled!]**

**[** _**Observe** _ **has reached level 5!]**

According to all his research, which actually meant he’d just paid attention for once, when a skill reached level five, there was a significant chance it’d gain a new effect, or something along those lines.

His theory was proven correct in the worst possible way.

**[** _ **Observe**_ **has unlocked the** _ **Relationship Meter**_ **!]**

Why.

Why was Jaune the subject of such ridicule, such hatred, such pure universal maliciousness.

This had to be his sister’s doing, one of them. Olive, most likely.

Her addiction to dating games had to be the reason he was being subjected to this.

**[People now have relationship meters when observed, which indicate their relation with you.]**

Jaune was so annoyed he stopped watching the jar, and he was snapped back to reality as he felt cold liquid slowly drip over his fingers.

“Eugh, cold.” Jaune, ever fluent, uttered, as he shook his hand, attempting to get rid of the sap.

“How observant. What a remarkable leader you make,” Weiss remarked from her seat on a nearby root.

“Well, by all means, feel free to do this,” Jaune replied, as he swapped the jars, placing the first on the ground next to the rest.

He wasn’t going to check the relationship meter on anyone. It was just stupid.

Dumb.

Idiotic, even.

It also seemed like a major breach of privacy, but that was the secondary reason.

So what if he was curious.

So what if said curiosity was clawing at his forethoughts, playing devil’s advocate.

He refused.

He wouldn’t do it.

He wouldn’t, damn it.

Jaune caved, _Observe_ triggered at the behest of the wielder, and he learned exactly what he’d feared.

**[Weiss Schnee]**

**[Huntress-In-Training, Level 12]**

**[Relationship: +5/100 (Teammate)]**

Well, at least his relationship with Weiss was positive.

It wasn’t very positive, but it was a start.

Considering how they’d met, he could see that he was still leagues ahead of a lot of people.

He’d look at Blake and Pyrrha’s later, he’d invaded enough privacy already, and instead turned his attention back to the sap that slowly trickled down.

Jaune whiled away the time it took for the second and third jars to fill, idly entertaining passing thoughts for anywhere from moments to minutes at a time, before his attention was absorbed by the strangest whistling sound.

It almost sounded like a glass jar filled with red sap that had been hurled at him and impacted against his back. In fact, were that to happen, there would be no way for him to be prepared for it, and it would shatter against his unprotected, clothed back, glass shards cutting into his body and the red sap thoroughly drenching him.

That was what happened, of course.

The injuries bothered him for only a split-second, before _System Body_ kicked in and eradicated both the injuries and the pain, but there was no skill to remove red sap from him.

The grunt of pain and the shattering of glass had attracted the attention of his team, of course, and whilst they were armed and wary, Jaune waved them down.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Probably just Cardin making a poor attempt at revenge,” Jaune said, in an effort to dissuade his team from creating a new clearing with the amount of hostility they were openly showing.

If trees could wither and die from the intent, they’d surely have done so already.

“That buffoon! We should find him, and give him a piece of our minds!” Weiss exclaimed, fuming.

“For once, I’m in agreement,” Blake said with a nod.

“I wouldn’t mind having a friendly chat,” Pyrrha said, a frown on her face.

“Honestly, leave it. We’ve got more important things to focus on than fighting other students. Like the horde of Grimm headed our way right now,” Jaune spoke with authority, the tone in his voice snapping the heads of the remaining members of AWBN towards him.

“What?” The three chorused, unexpectedly confused.

“Red Sap has an attractive sweetness to its scent, it’ll lure nearby Grimm to our position. Small amounts of the sap leaking out wouldn’t attract many, nor would our sealed jars, but this much, all over a moving target with Aura?” Jaune explained.

He was soon proven right, of course, when a cluster of Beowolves burst out of the trees on the other side of the clearing.

The girls prepared themselves, but Jaune held up a hand, as the other reached out and withdrew Crocea Mors from the trunk. “I’ll handle these. Cover my flank.”

With the rather unexpected order coming from their leader, the girls had no choice but to watch warily as Jaune stepped closer to the Beowolf pack, shield deploying from sheath mode just in time to block the first strike.

The first Beowolf that had attacked found it’s arm lopped off, and with a howl it leaped even closer, but the howl never finished as Jaune bashed it in the face with his shield and spun, the arcing blade of Crocea Mors serving to both decapitate it and keep any of the others away.

The lupine Grimm weren’t very old, nor were they very smart, and as Jaune kept his guard up, occasionally striking out with a stab or a sweeping slice, the Grimm found that they had no opportunities to get the better of him, and so resorted to simply throwing themselves at him in the hope that they would crush him with sheer body mass.

Of course, Jaune was light enough on his feet to be able to maintain movement, and as the Beowolf bodies began to pile up, disintegrating at a slow enough speed that more could be added to the pile before the first had gone, Jaune found himself at ease.

That, in and of itself, was odd. Normally, he wouldn’t expect someone fighting for their life to be at ease, but here he was, slicing his way through an entire pack of Beowolves, his mind at rest.

Stab, block, slice, sidestep, block, stab, bash, stab, block, backstep.

The only thing in his mind was to simply do as he felt the blade should, and he let it lead him in the waltz that he danced.

They were low level, low intelligence enemies, things he didn’t need to spare additional thought.

They were, in a word, fodder.

He’d worry about that fact once he was done with them, of course. Where there was fodder there was a tougher fight waiting, that was basically the rules of both video games and the universe as a whole.

So once he finished with the stragglers, he turned and faced the final Beowolf, whose bone plating indicated that he was the Alpha.

The Alpha of the pack Jaune had just so effortlessly slaughtered.

Were it a creature capable of reasonable thought, Jaune was sure it would’ve surrendered right then and there, but this was a simple Alpha Beowolf.

It charged at Jaune, and Jaune decided to try something new.

A Lightning-Infused _Mana Slash_ hit the Grimm in the midsection, frying charcoal-coloured flesh and giving the air that toxic smell, whilst simultaneously making Jaune recoil slightly as the now-corpse shook, twitched and juddered in a posthumous mockery of a nervous system on the receiving end of a bad seizure.

Okay, so that was good to know. Lightning was really, really effective on flesh. Not that regular Mana wasn’t also effective, but still, a Lightning-Infused spell was no laughing matter.

Jaune heard the telltale sound of a rifle firing, and seeing as the only one on his team to wield such a weapon was Pyrrha, Jaune turned to face her, only to watch her take down an Ursa Minor with ease, the fluidity of her movements impressing not only him, but Blake and Weiss too.

Which wasn’t all that surprising, seeing as he relied on being the heavier fighter, and his three teammates were dextrous agility-based combatants.

They could dodge hits all day, and he could tank them, but reverse their roles, and they’d be in some danger.

Of course, that was only if the enemy managed to land a hit in the first place.

Weiss’s rapier pierced the head of a straggling Beowolf, and Blake quickly dismembered another, before Jaune turned back to his side of the clearing as _Danger Sense_ activated, warning him.

Not a moment too late, thankfully, as an entire tree came sailing out of the forest and smacked the ground behind Jaune, who’d had the wherewithal to duck underneath it.

What emerged was not a Beowolf. It was something even worse, something bigger and spikier than the Ursa Pyrrha had so skillfully killed.

As Jaune _Observed_ the behemoth of a Grimm, Pyrrha, Blake and Weiss turned to face the monster, they too shocked at the size.

Out of the forest’s red leaves it lumbered.

**[Ursa Epic]**

**[Grimm, Level 10]**

**[BOSS]**

Jaune gulped.

* * *

There was a saying used to exaggeratedly describe Grimm; ‘It’s the size of a house!’

This was no exaggeration.

The Ursa Epic towered over the four, it’s intimidating size proving to be only the first straw. The colossal spines that stood out from its back were pockmarked with splinters and cracks, and the beast’s flesh was coated in scars, but instead of making it seem like it was already injured, it instead served to function as a threat.

This Ursa had fought many an opponent, and won.

It decided its approach hadn’t served as enough intimidation, though, so it solved that problem with a roar that was loud enough to slide Jaune back a foot in the dirt, his heels digging into the ground as he attempted to stay upright.

The claws on its paws were coated in a pale, flaky crimson that shedded into patches of similarly coloured powder, and its red, beady eyes stared at the four with the malicious intent that only a Grimm that size could fully muster.

All in all, Jaune was perfectly within acceptable reason to feel as if he was quaking in fear.

_System Mind_ was working overtime to keep him calm, and for that he was thankful, although he’d put off said thank-you until he’d either fought the beast, fled from the beast, or died. Whichever came first.

“Jaune, what do we do!?” Pyrrha shouted, backing up step by step as she pointed the rifle-form of her weapon at the Ursa Epic.

Jaune, being the closest to the massive ursine Grimm, decided that backing up was probably a good idea, considering he assumed he didn’t have all that much time before the Grimm decided to see if he tasted any better than the previous victims.

It stared down at him, and Jaune watched it plant it’s forepaws against the ground carefully.

“We need to retreat, and get the Professor! There’s no way we can kill this thing ourselves!” Jaune answered Pyrrha’s query, as he carefully handled his sword in his hand.

The Ursa Epic decided, then and there, that it would prove the young leader’s point.

A single lunge, powerful hind legs pushing it further than Jaune thought possible, and the Ursa Epic was right upon him, massive paw swinging towards his body at speeds that seemed to break the very stereotype the Ursa had upon them.

Jaune lifted his shield and cast both _Mana Shield_ and _Mana Field_ in an attempt to simply survive, and as the paw impacted against both of his Mana defenses and against his shield, he realised that it didn’t do all that much to prevent the Ursa Epic from hitting him.

He knew that especially well when his undefended body impacted against a tree trunk, knocking the wind out of him as he left a Jaune-shaped indent in the log.

“Ow…” He wheezed, raising himself to one knee to survey the situation as it was.

All he saw was Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha opening fire on the Ursa Epic, which seemed to view the projectiles as mild annoyances than any kind of grievance.

Jaune knew that they needed backup, and so he withdrew his Scroll, flipping through his contacts until he reached Ruby.

First ring, second ring…

“C’mon, Ruby, pick up!” Jaune muttered, as he stumbled towards his team.

“Jaune? What’s up?” Ruby’s voice, tinny through the speaker of the Scroll, was a welcome sound to Jaune.

“Ruby! AWBN’s under attack, it’s a massive Ursa! Get Goodwitch, and use my Scroll’s GPS to find us!” Jaune exclaimed, before grabbing Weiss by the back of her jacket and wrenching her backwards, just in time to avoid the massive paw that smashed the ground right where she’d been standing.

Of course, the impact didn’t have zero casualties, and as Jaune regained his balance, he noticed his Scroll on the ground, in splinters.

He could only hope Ruby was clever enough to track one of the other Scrolls of AWBN, because he was going to need a new one.

As for the fight, though, Jaune decided now would be a good time to start dishing out Mana.

His fingertips crackled with arcane energy as he willed a _Spinning Mana Bullet_ into existence, but the colour quickly changed, becoming a glowing yellow, arcs of lightning sparking off, and he released it, the _Lightning-Infused Spinning Mana Bullet_ spiralling through the air and impacting against the shoulder of the Ursa Epic.

Finally, it seemed like Jaune had done some kind of damage, as the beast reared up on its hind legs and roared, yellow bolts of lightning jumping around its body as it seemed to spasm.

**[You have inflicted Paralysis!]**

Well, that was beneficial. Jaune didn’t know how long Paralysis would last, but he was quick to take advantage of it, and amongst the staccato fire of Blake and Pyrrha, and the whistling of energy projectiles from Weiss, Jaune charged forward, channeling _Lightning-Infused_ Mana into the palm of his hand.

Once close enough, he noticed the Ursa Epic break free of the Paralysis, but he had already reached the point he’d needed to, and he _Jumped_ up, unleashing a _Lightning-Infused Mana Blast_ straight into the chest of the Grimm.

The blast was powerful, extremely so, but the damage it dealt was like a bucket of water to a pool.

That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt the Ursa Epic, though, and a second roar escaped the beast as it staggered backwards, massive foot planting into the dirt with a thud.

Jaune followed up the blast by landing in a roll, drawing Crocea Mors from the top of his shield, and slashing at the tendons on the leg the Grimm had planted, his steel blade unable to penetrate deep, but enough to put some pain into the muscle.

Pyrrha had pushed forward, seeing as how her bullets had so far been ineffectual against the thick hide, and the xiphos form of her weapon slashed on the other side of the leg.

Blake and Weiss joined the melee, Weiss creating a series of glyphs for Blake to use as steps, the raven-haired girl rushing up and using her natural agility to slice away chunks from the wound on the Ursa Epic’s shoulder, where the _Spinning Mana Bullet_ had impacted.

Weiss made sure Blake always had somewhere to land if she was shaken loose, and as Pyrrha and Jaune worked away at the leg, the Ursa wasn’t given an opportunity to counter-attack, constantly off-balance and assaulted on all sides.

That wasn’t going to last, though. There was only so much AWBN could do before they would run out of energy, and the Ursa Epic was most definitely an endurance fighter.

They’d lose a battle of attrition without a doubt, even with Jaune’s massive MP regen he’d just recently acquired. He might’ve been able to last as long as the Grimm, or at least get close, but Pyrrha, Blake and Weiss were not going to be able to get anywhere near.

Jaune knew his team weren’t endurance fighters. In fact, he might’ve been the only endurance fighter out of both AWBN and RRYN, unless you counted Nora.

Nobody was quite sure what Nora would classify as.

Speaking of.

A massive explosion rocked the Ursa Epic’s head, and the one and only person capable of that landed next to Jaune, a wide smile on her face.

“Hey Jauney! Where’d you find this one?” She asked, twirling her warhammer.

Jaune stepped back a step and drove the point of Crocea Mors into the steadily widening wound he’d been creating on the Ursa Epic’s leg, before answering. “He kinda just showed up, you know? Did Ruby get Goodwitch?”

Nora nodded, sporting a manic grin. “Yeah, the professor seemed real scary, too. Sounds like she’s real mad!”

Jaune laughed. “Well, we could really use some help breaking this thing’s leg. You in?”

The manic grin widened impossibly. “You had me at break a leg!”

With the conversation out of the way, Nora wound back and swung, her warhammer impacting against the previous wound with a meaty smack, and the black flesh rippled.

The Ursa Epic gave a massive roar, and the roar was joined by a loud crack as a massive chunk of black flesh was shredded, raining the dark ichor all over the ground.

Ruby with Crescent Rose, no doubt. There was only one weapon in Beacon that fired that high a caliber, Jaune knew.

Nora wound back for a swing, and Jaune held up a hand for pause, before driving Crocea Mors into the wound once more, releasing his grip.

The blade stuck in, and Nora got the idea quickly, as she quickly became the hammer to Jaune’s chisel, driving Crocea Mors hard enough into the flesh that the tip pierced the other side in a burst of smoke that had Pyrrha release a small yelp of surprise.

It was then that Jaune grabbed the handle, which was surprisingly undamaged, and channeled Mana into it.

This was going to be interesting.

He pulled the sword upwards, and the searing smell of burnt Grimm flesh filled the air as he carved through the weaker flesh of the inside of the leg, before finishing the upward swing, the arcing yellow energy of a _Lightning-Infused Mana Slash_ carving up through the vulnerable inner meat of the leg.

“Alright, we need to pull back, I don’t want to be stuck underneath another giant Grimm!” Jaune ordered, and Nora and Pyrrha obliged, quickly backing up from the Ursa Epic as it staggered backwards once more, balance as ruined as its leg.

Blake landed on the ground, and Jaune noticed that Yang did the same, the two rolling to a stop after leaping from one of Weiss’s glyph-platforms. Weiss herself looked winded, and it was obvious she’d expended a significant amount of energy.

Ren and Ruby were the last two to arrive, Ren acting the scout to Ruby’s sniper.

The ninth member to arrive was Professor Goodwitch, who strode out of the forest with a glare more furious than any Jaune had seen before.

This Ursa Epic was a personal affront to Goodwitch’s teaching efforts, and it was about to be taught a lesson.

A wave of her riding crop had massive tree trunks lift themselves out of the dirt, and the Ursa Epic, already wounded, suddenly felt the assault of a barrage of log-spears, battering its body and knocking it onto its back.

Goodwitch saw the opportunity, and another wave of her riding crop had one of the trees splinter, the end sharpening to a point, and a moment passed before she stuck the tree-sized stake into the chest of the Ursa Epic, pinning it to the ground through its torso.

It wasn’t the end of it, though. Jaune could tell, and whilst everyone else relaxed, Jaune gripped Crocea Mors even harder, charging forward and jumping, traversing the distance between where he’d been standing and the Ursa Epic in a few moments, and he could tell everyone was watching him.

A _Lightning-Infused_ _Mana Impact_ pooled at Jaune’s feet, and he slammed into the Ursa Epic’s head with incredible velocity, looking to the world like a bolt of lightning.

The burst of smoky-black ichor that sprayed into the air around him simply added to the dramatic effect.

**[Encounter Complete!]**

**[You gained 41866 XP!]**

**[Level Up!]**

**[You are now Level 12!]**

**[+20 Skill Points!]**

**[Skills have leveled!]**

**[** _ **Weapon Proficiency: One-Handed Melee**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

 **[** _ **Weapon Proficiency: Shield**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

 **[** _ **Jump**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

 **[** _ **Sixth Sense**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

 **[** _ **Spinning Mana Bullet**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

 **[** _ **Mana Slash**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

 **[** _ **Aura Control**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

 **[** _ **Mana Impact**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

 **[** _ **Mana Field**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

 **[** _ **Mana Blast**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

 **[** _ **Mana Shield**_ **has reached Level 11!]**

**[Thanks to intense physical activity and practised leadership, you gain +2 END, +2 STR and +1 CHA.]**

**[For performing a finishing blow on a boss, you have been awarded a skill and +3 CHA.]**

**[Skill Awarded!]**

**[** _ **Finishing Blow (Active):**_ _Thanks to the System, you can perform a finishing move on a debilitated enemy, defeating them in a singular final attack. Costs 50 SP._ _ **Level MAX.**_ **]**

Jaune gaped at the notifications that had popped up, even as he shook his feet clear of the chunks of black, fleshy sludge that clumped on his shoes.

Honestly… Jaune was going to need an extra long shower to sort through all of that.

Now, though, he had to leave the giant corpse. An idea that was a lot harder in practise than it was in theory.

Jaune sheathed Crocea Mors and stowed the sheath back on his belt, before gripping the sides whatever remnants of the skull were left behind, and climbing out.

He couldn’t tell, but the entire clearing stank of crisp, burnt Grimm flesh, and the only reason he couldn’t tell was because he was completely submerged in the scent so deep it had effectively killed his sense of smell.

It was apparent that everyone else could smell it, though, because the faces of the eight figures that stared at him, jaws agape in shock, quickly scrunched up as he got closer.

Lightning cooked things really fast, unsurprisingly.

“Mr Arc. I have many questions, but I believe I’ll just settle for one, for now. What in the Brothers were you thinking?”

Jaune fought the urge to scratch the back of his head valiantly, but it was a doomed effort from the start. “Uh…”

Luckily for Jaune, his team were quick to jump to his defense. 

“Professor, this isn’t any of AWBN’s fault. The Ursa was lured here by the sap!” Pyrrha exclaimed.

“And how much sap did you think you needed?” Goodwitch asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t our sap, Professor. Team CRDL threw a jar at Jaune, and coated him in it. That, plus Jaune’s abnormally large Aura, attracted the Ursa,” Weiss explained.

Goodwitch sighed, before resuming her normal, stern expression. “All of you, to the Bullhead. The other teams have retrieved enough sap, you don’t need to retrieve yours. Just…”

She paused, and finally locked eyes with Jaune. “Please, for the love of all things, take a shower.”

Jaune gave a nervous chuckle in response to that, promptly losing the second head-scratch war of the day.

As Goodwitch stalked off, Jaune swore he could hear her muttering something about blond hair.

* * *

“ Well, I can definitely say that smell was un _bear_ able!” Yang joked, as the eight stood in the Bullhead, the pilot having sealed off the cockpit to escape the majority of the scent of burned Ursa flesh.

“Yang, please. One more pun, and I’ll leave you behind,” Ruby deadpanned, staring half-heartedly at her sister.

“Sis, you wouldn’t! You couldn’t _bear_ to be without me!” Yang exclaimed, unable to prevent a massive smile presenting itself.

“Yang, I’m warning you!” Ruby exclaimed.

“ C’mon, Rubes, you know that’s a  _bear_ faced lie! You wouldn’t throw me off!” Yang joked once more, to the collective groan of the others.

“ What, is this too em _bear_ assing?” Yang said, as Ruby tried to cover her sister’s mouth.

“Yang, stop!” Ruby begged.

“ Aw, Ruby, don’t be so  _grizzly_ !” Yang said with glee as Ruby tried her best to clamp Yang’s mouth shut.

“ You think you can stop me, but I’ve  _bear_ ly started!” Yang cackled, and Ruby finally managed to stop her by driving her elbow into her older sister’s stomach.

Jaune watched it all go down from his seat furthest away, partly because he needed to think, and partly because nobody could stand to sit that close to him.

Of course, he couldn’t navigate any of his notifications whilst in such a public place, but he could think about what he was going to do about Cardin.

That idiot, and that was a light sentencing, had endangered AWBN significantly, with or without deliberate intent. Jaune needed to deal with him personally, but he didn’t want to. It was obvious that Beacon staff weren’t interested in petty squabbles between teams, so Jaune would have to take care of the problem himself.

Although, it wouldn’t be that hard to intimidate Cardin, if that was the method Jaune decided on. He’d just killed a giant Grimm, and despite it not being single-handedly, Cardin didn’t know that. He did know that there was an emergency, and that AWBN and RRYN had been sent back early.

If that didn’t make him at least worry, there was something wrong with him.

Alternatively, Jaune could try to appeal to Cardin’s more reasonable side, were that to exist. Of course, that was much less likely to work.

Sometimes the diplomatic approach was the best approach, but Jaune was adamant that this was not one of those times.

Of course, first he’d need to clean himself up. His shoes were still coated in slowly dissolving black muck, and if they weren’t ruined he’d be surprised.

What he could be thankful for was the things the boss had dropped.

First and foremost, five thousand Lien. That was more money than Jaune had ever held in his entire life, so he was a little excited about that.

The second was a cluster of Ursa Hide that Jaune had recovered.

The third was an Ursa Epic Spine, and that was both incredible and terrifying.

The fourth and final item was a small metal box with a lock, that Jaune hadn’t seen a key for.

All in all, a good haul. Plus, he’d killed twelve Beowolves, so he was only one away from ranking up his title.

“ Well, I hate to be the  _bear_ er of bad news, Jaune, but I think AWBN needs to have a team discussion after we’ve cleaned ourselves up,” Pyrrha said, and whilst Yang laughed, Jaune was suddenly a lot more nervous.

He knew what they were going to ask, and he didn’t know how to respond.

So he said the first thing that came to his mind. “Okay.”

‘ _Eloquent as ever, Jaune. Nailed it.’_

* * *

  
  
  



	13. Chapter 13

* * *

  


Jaune was, understandably, nervous.

His team had practically ushered into their dorm, and decided that maybe, just maybe, they’d shower before having their talk.

So, here was Jaune, last into the bathroom.

Scared, nervous, terrified.

He could pick and choose an emotion at will, at this point.

Well, as long as it was based in fear.

The lukewarm water that ran down his back washed away some of the grime he was coated in, and he turned, letting the water run down his face as he thought.

If they asked about his semblance, he wasn’t sure how he was going to respond.

What he did know, however, was that the team, regardless of how this conversation went down, would all need to agree on a rotating bathroom schedule of some sort. Constant lukewarm-turning-cold water wasn’t exactly what Jaune had been looking forward to when he left home. Sure, there were four less girls he had to deal with, but still.

He needed to have some kind of leadership standard.

Ruby had probably figured all that out already.

What Jaune also needed was to not get so distracted easily, and he decided to reprimand himself by shutting off the water, towelling himself off and dressing in fresh, clean clothes that didn’t smell of Ursa entrails. Or, Ursa brain, at any rate.

Jaune didn’t know if Ursa had brains, though you’d think he’d be intimately aware of that fact.

He opened the bathroom door, ready to face the proverbial music.

“Jaune,” Pyrrha started, before he’d even closed the door behind him.

“Let’s get this over with, I guess…” Jaune spoke, trailing off as he glanced around the room.

“We need to talk… about Cardin.”

Jaune felt a massive weight lift off his chest.

* * *

  


“So, whatcha think they’re talkin’ about?” Nora asked, leaning over to her partner as Team RRYN fetched what was basically a late lunch.

Ruby hmm-ed and haah-ed for a moment, before settling on a theory. “Probably the fact that Jaune blew up the head of a giant Ursa with his feet.”

Nora laughed loudly, drawing a little bit of ire from the various students on their free periods, but either she didn’t care or she was blissfully unaware. “I’d love to see Jauney try to fight me with that move! He’d have a surprise waiting for him!”

“I dunno, Nora, the last time you fought Jaune you didn’t exactly prove that you were superior,” Yang teased, giving the hyperactive ginger a nudge from the other side.

“No one’s ever fought me twice and won!” Nora cheered, and Ruby noted the slightest of smirks appear on Ren’s face.

“I am a little worried, though. AWBN has had some, uh, growing pains, I guess. I know Weiss is pretty prickly, and I guess Blake has barely spoken any words outside of direct, unavoidable conversation, so…” Ruby muttered, as she scooped a handful of strawberries onto a plate of pancakes.

“Yeah, but at least Pyrrha’s nice! And you and Jaune are all buddy-buddy, so I reckon between the two of them they could sort the others out!” Yang said, shuffling past Nora as she continued to shovel pancakes onto her plate, giving her sister a quick side-hug.

“Besides, we’ve got a silent teammate ourselves, don’t we Ren?” Yang said with a laugh, looking at her partner.

That silent smirk on Ren’s face was still there, and he let out a light chuckle. “I wouldn’t say I’m silent. More… at peace. Having three hyperactive teammates requires a counterweight.”

“Pfft. Counterweight! Sure thing monk-boy,” Yang laughed almost as loud as Nora, and Ruby noticed that her team was gathering more stares.

“C’mon, guys. Let’s just get our food and get out of here, the older students are starting to get mad!” Ruby hissed, practically turning as red as her cloak, head buried in her hood.

The remaining members of RRYN decided that following their leader’s order would be a smart decision indeed.

* * *

  


“He wilfully endangered not just us, but Team RRYN too. He’s a menace, Jaune,” Pyrrha said, pacing back and forth around the room as Jaune walked over to his bed, taking a seat.

“Okay, so we’ll go to the teachers, talk to them. I’m sure Professor Goodwitch will side with us,” Jaune replied.

“It doesn’t work like that, Jaune. I understand that you didn’t attend a combat school before Beacon, you told us that much, so I can realise why you wouldn’t understand how it works. We’re expected to solve our own problems, Jaune. If a student is bullying another student, the student being bullied is expected to solve it themselves,” Pyrrha explained.

Jaune frowned, and before he could speak, Weiss spoke up. “That isn’t to say the student is effectively abandoned. If it goes from basic, and I use that word lightly, bullying, to much more deliberate injury, to the point where it breaks the law, then teachers will step in. We’re legally adults, Jaune. Or at least, most of us are. We’re expected to solve our own problems.”

Jaune nodded in understanding. “I guess so… though I’m not completely in agreement with that. Regardless, though, I’m guessing we have to take care of Cardin somehow. Any ideas?”

Silence fell amongst AWBN’s dorm, before the one person they didn’t expect spoke up.

“We could always kill him,” Blake said.

Three sets of eyes locked on her, and Jaune gave a short, sharp laugh. “The first joke we get her to make, and it’s that. I’m not sure if I should cheer or cry.”

“Blake isn’t too far off, though,” Weiss began, and three sets of eyes locked onto a different target.

“What?” Pyrrha gaped, staring at the heiress.

“I’m not saying kill him, obviously, but we need him to stop. What’s stopping us from bluffing?” Weiss said, explaining her line of thinking.

“Um…” Jaune began, but Pyrrha had already latched onto the idea.

“Weiss is right. If we convince Cardin that we’ll be far less forgiving if he attempts anything a second time, he’s sure to stop!” The red-headed champion said in agreement.

“Alright, alright. That can be plan B, I guess. Let me talk to the guy first, let’s try diplomacy before we threaten him? I’d rather we didn’t drop to his level.” Jaune stood from his bed, walking to the door. “I’ll go see if they’ve gotten back yet. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

As the door closed behind the blond teen, he released a metaphorical breath he didn’t realise he’d been metaphorically holding.

‘ _Thank the Brothers, that could’ve gone much, much worse.’_

* * *

  


It was going to get so much worse.

Sure, he’d said he was going to speak with Cardin, and sure, he’d said he’d take care of it, but much like the majority of life, saying was much easier than doing.

And now, standing outside CRDL’s dorm, Jaune was about to do exactly what he said he’d do.

Or, well, he was going to work up the nerve to do.

He didn’t know what made him so uncomfortable. He’d bested Cardin multiple times, and the teen had resorted to pretty mediocre ‘pranks’, if they could even be called that.

Jaune decided to bite the bullet. He knocked on the door.

And, as doors tended to, it opened, the surly face of Cardin staring at him.

“What the hell do you want, Arc?” Cardin asked, glaring at him.

Jaune could see behind him, though, and he noticed the other three members of CRDL back away from the door, discreetly reaching for their weapons.

“Cardin, we need to talk. Somewhere a little less populated,” Jaune said, gesturing for Cardin to step out of the room.

It looked as if Cardin was three seconds away from attempting to strangle Jaune, but Jaune watched as the emotion faded from the heavyset teen’s eyes.

A noncommittal grunt escaped his mouth, and the door closed behind him.

Jaune took that as an indication that Cardin was going to follow him, and as such he began walking, finding the nearest empty common room and stepping in.

“What the hell is it, Arc? I don’t have time for your bullshit,” Cardin said, as he leaned against a wall, trying somewhat in vain to look tough.

“You put not only myself, but my team in danger today. That isn’t going to happen again. Am I clear?” Jaune said.

The look on Cardin’s face indicated that he was, in fact, not clear.

“Aw, boo-hoo. One of the year’s best teams couldn’t handle an Ursa?” Cardin said, a sinister smirk on his face. “Sounds like your bark is worse than your bite!”

Jaune slammed his fist into the wall next to Cardin’s head, anger written into the very lines of his face. “Don’t. Just don’t. You’ve got two choices, Cardin. You either stop now, like I promised my team I’d have you do, or we can all come back, and you’ll see exactly how we killed that giant Ursa. We’ll perform a rather close example, in fact.”

Cardin stared daggers at Jaune, and Jaune returned the stare, neither breaking eye contact.

“Hmph. Fine. But don’t think you intimidate me. I ain’t afraid of you, Arc. And when I beat you in our next combat class, we’ll reconsider this ‘discussion’,” Cardin grunted, pushing past Jaune and leaving, heavy stomps echoing through the hallway as Jaune listened to the teen walk away.

Of course, Jaune wasn’t looking towards the door. He was staring at the notification box that appeared.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Intimidating Presence (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can, at will, give off an intimidating aura, which will influence those around you. The intimidation is more effective the higher the level of the skill, and the higher your Charisma. _ _** Level 1; XP 10/12. ** _ ** ] **

Well, that would’ve helped earlier.

* * *

  


Lately, Jaune had been thinking.

He’d been doing a lot of thinking, actually. Way more than he’d ever really needed to do before these past few weeks.

He’d started attending Beacon Academy, a childhood dream of his. He’d met seven people he really enjoyed spending time around, and he’d discovered a semblance that was insanely powerful.

With the semblance came the thinking, though.

Which was currently what Jaune was doing. He’d gone back to his team, told them that Cardin wouldn’t be doing anything any more, and then he’d said he was going to go for a walk.

So, here he was. Out in one of Beacon’s many courtyards, Jaune pacing around enjoying the afternoon breeze.

And thinking.

Jaune liked to consider himself intelligent.

Sure, he wasn’t book-smart like Weiss, combat-smart like Pyrrha. He wasn’t street-smart like Blake or social-smart like Yang. He wasn’t worldly like Ren, as driven as Nora, or as weapon-smart as Ruby, but he liked to think he was something the others weren’t, or weren’t as much as he was.

Jaune was adaptable. That much was undeniable, seeing as he’d discovered his semblance so recently in comparison to his friends.

And yet, that was what brought him to this conclusion. He was adaptable, sure, but he hadn’t fully invested himself in his semblance yet.

It’d been power-trips and accidental discoveries that had led him thus far. Pure power output, raw damage, with no thought processes, no strategy.

The first thing people did when they discovered their semblance was experiment, and Jaune had done that. Unlike everyone else, though, Jaune’s semblance didn’t seem to have a limit.

So, Jaune couldn’t stop experimenting. He needed to find somewhere secluded, where he could just constantly push his boundaries, and stretch his limits.

The System was like a video game in so many aspects, to the point where it acknowledged it itself. So, Jaune needed to stop looking at it like a semblance. It wasn’t, there was just way too much going on for that to be true.

Instead, he needed to think freely, unobstructed by prior, preconceived notions of how a semblance was supposed to work. Which he had an advantage in, considering he’d never really studied anything to do with semblances or even Aura until recently.

And all of that cumulated into the explanation of how Jaune managed to turn a peaceful, breezy afternoon walk into an unexpected visit to an empty clearing at the base of Beacon’s cliffs.

It also explained why he had his fancy new Beacon-assigned scroll out, as he found a relatively comfortable seat on an upturned log.

Jaune began to browse the CCTnet. Everyone researched their semblances, right? To see if there were records of people with similar semblances, and to see if anyone had any ideas for applications. Sure, he was browsing forums talking about various video games, but that did technically count.

As he scrolled through page after page of game wiki, review and idea thread, Jaune simultaneously brought up his skill menu, checking through it in an effort to see what he already had.

What it culminated into was a bunch of different spells all jumbled together without any kind of order.

“Okay, first let’s sort all this out,” Jaune murmured to himself, placing his scroll next to him.

He began organising, first by creating custom categories to sort the skills into, and then assigning skills to those categories.

It took him nearly fifteen minutes, but he was finally done.

Ten categories: System Standard, which was skills that came as default with the System, which was  _ System Mind _ and  _ System Body _ .

Proficiency, for his weapon proficiencies.

Physical Combat, for his physical attacks like  _ Shield Bash _ and  _ Battering Ram _ .

Utility, for skills such as the somewhat useless  _ Dishwashing _ and  _ Elemental Infusion _ .

Mobility, for such skills as  _ Jump _ and  _ Sprint _ .

Perception, for  _ Observe _ and  _ Sixth Sense _ .

Speech, for all his Charisma-based skills like  _ Intimidating Presence _ and  _ Deceitful Speech _ .

Aura, for his sole Aura skill  _ Aura Control _ .

Summon, for his yet-untouched summoning skills.

And finally, last but most definitely not least, Magical Combat, which featured a whopping whole eleven skills.

All in all, Jaune could see the imbalance clear as day when he looked at the list.

He wasn’t really using his semblance to the best of his ability. Sure, he could shoot orbs of magic from his hands, but that wasn’t really doing anything to help him if he couldn’t keep up with the target.

Or if the target simply tanked the shot.

According to some of the forums he’d read, there were a few things he needed to be wary of.

First, raw damage meant nothing if he went up against something that resisted the damage he was dealing, and whilst that was a little too game-literal, he understood the meaning behind it. He needed to balance his own attacks with clever strategy, not just spam-fire magic at the opponent in the hopes it’d just wither and die.

Secondly, variety was the spice of life. Having a massive selection of skills to suit every situation was preferable to specialising in one single skillset in the short-term, and then focusing on a more specific set at a later date would help him narrow down the selection of skills he used the most, allowing him to prepare for the less common situations.

Thirdly, buffing and teamwork. That was technically third and fourth, but Jaune decided to just merge the two, to make it easier on himself. He needed to make sure that not only he, but his entire team was ready to face the enemy at his level. So, if or when he exceeded his team’s average level, based on their  _ Observe _ stats listed, he’d have to start doing more work to help out.

As far as he knew, whilst actual games had party systems, the System featured no such thing. Well, he hadn’t actually tried, but he’d assumed he would’ve seen an option of some kind for it if it did in fact exist.

As far as he was aware, anyway.

Fourthly, Jaune needed more better gear. One of the major parts of RPGs was the loot systems, from new armor to better weapons, and seeing as Jaune had already seen that clothing and weapons could get stat buffs and debuffs, he knew he needed more things.

Besides, his armor was cheap steel stuff his father had gotten him for a birthday. His father hadn’t wanted to get Jaune real armor, citing the argument that he wouldn’t ever need it.

Jaune had insisted, and his father had caved somewhat, although that was more from Jaune’s mother than anything Jaune had done, and thus the cheap steel plating Jaune had received had come into existence.

It served its purpose, or it would’ve, had Jaune not suddenly gained a vast amount of abilities, including instant regeneration of injuries. That being said, he still enjoyed not being cleaved apart like wet paper.

He wasn’t sure about replacing Crocea Mors, though. It was an heirloom, a relic of a time long past, and he wanted to honour the promise he’d made to not only the blade, but himself.

And so, Jaune pocketed his new scroll, stood up from the log, and stretched his stiff joints.

It was time for some experimental magic.

* * *

  


The clearing was peaceful, still, despite the pockmarked grass and slightly smoking wounds the trees seemed to feature.

Jaune had spent the past half-an-hour testing all his magical combat spells with  _ Lightning Infusion _ , to startling degrees of destructive capability.

Granted, ground was a pretty damn good method of countering lightning and electricity, but the fact that he was still tearing up chunks proved just how powerful the infusion was.

Now was the time he moved on from prior known spells.

Jaune congealed a ball of Mana in his hand, molding it and shaping it into a ball, using his control over Mana to make an almost hardened Mana shell around the amorphous interior.

He willed it to be something he hadn’t tried yet, and enacted his plan.

With a lob, Jaune arced the ball of Mana towards his imaginary target, and waited.

The ball of Mana landed in the dirt, rolling slightly, before a second passed.

Jaune felt the air push his hair back as the orb exploded in a cloud of Mana-coloured smoke, with an added sprinkling of dirt.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Grenade (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now focus Mana into an orb, which can be thrown. A short time after leaving your hand, it will detonate, dealing significant damage to all in range. Costs 80 MP per cast. _ _** Level 1; XP 1/12. ** _ ** ] **

Well, that worked better than Jaune had been expecting. Now he had a way of hitting things around corners, and an AoE attack that didn’t require him to physically be present.

A few other suggestions in a few forums suggested a variety of things Jaune could adapt, but he’d wiki’d a few standard spells in a bunch of different RPGs.

Now was time to try another one, something he’d read on a wiki page for “Grimm & Grottos”, a popular tabletop RPG that Jaune had actually tried once.

Turns out his family wasn’t the biggest fan of a game based on their job. Jaune could understand why.

He focused the Mana into his hand, concentrating. The Mana formed a  _ Mana Bolt _ , a spell he hadn’t used in some time, but instead of releasing it, he forced more and more Mana into it.

The bolt got bigger, bigger still, until Jaune felt it cease growing. He pointed it at a nearby tree, and unleashed it.

The bolt left his hand a little slower than it’s smaller, standard counterpart, but the amount of condensed Mana that was inside showed when it impacted, effectively disintegrating the entire part of the tree where it impacted.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Pulse (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System you are capable of charging a Mana Bolt into a larger, slower moving projectile which explodes on impact. Costs 70 MP per cast. _ _** Level 1; XP 1/12. ** _ ** ] **

“Woah…” Jaune uttered, staring at the smoking stump where there had once been a tree.

If Jaune’s Huntsman career fell through, he could definitely get a job as a land-clearer.

Jaune stepped back from the wooden mess he’d made, and retrieved his scroll from his pocket, reopening he CCTnet tabs he’d been browsing, scrolling through to find one he’d bookmarked.

The video played, and Jaune watched in interest as the decades-old video showed a youngish-looking scientist, wearing a beaten and charred lab coat. The scientist grabbed a small pouch off the table next to him, pointed to a small metal plate on the floor, and threw the pouch hard.

The pouch angled sharply, hitting the metal plate with force, and the entire camera lens was swallowed with white light, the sound cutting out completely after a split-second of static.

The first documented test of high-quality flash powder had been a massive success, of course, and soon flash powder had become a staple of self-defense all over Remnant, but Jaune wasn’t interested in the powder itself at the moment.

No, he was interested in the effects it had.

He formed Mana in his hand, closing his eyes tight and focusing.

He considered the  _ Mana Grenade _ , but modified it, adjusting the magical parameters that the System gave him intimate knowledge of, even if he wasn’t consciously aware of it.

Now for the worst part. With nothing to test it on, Jaune opened his eyes, and threw the Mana.

The blinding flash that followed would haunt Jaune for at least a week. His eyes and ears stung, and he swore he could taste blood.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Flash (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can create a small burst of Mana in your hand that can be thrown like a grenade, which creates a blinding flash of light upon impact, inflicting temporary Blindness and Disorient in any unprepared target. Costs 40 MP per cast. _ _** Level 1; XP 1/12. ** _ ** ] **

Well, he knew it worked.

“Mawp, mawp!” Jaune moaned, trying to regain hearing and vision as he stumbled about the clearing.

‘ _Note to self, don’t use on self again. Bad idea. Secondary note to self, if Cardin decides to ignore the warning, use on him.’_

Jaune slumped to the ground, back against the ruined trunk from his  _ Mana Pulse _ experiment, as he recovered.

Okay, he was done with magical combat spells for now. It hurt too much.

Although, he did wonder what a lightning-infused  _ Mana Flash _ would be like.

“You know what? Let’s just leave that for another time. I don’t think my eyes can take it again,” He said to himself, rubbing at his eye-sockets with the palms of his hands.

Jaune knew he needed more. More skills, more stats, more everything. He needed to prepare. He knew Ozpin was going to ask him to fight him again, and Jaune was really, really not looking forward to that.

Jaune opened another tab on his scroll, browsing through, before a word caught his eye.

An article on buffs, and another on potions.

Jaune’s eyes lit up, and not because of the  _ Mana Flash  _ this time.

* * *

  


Jaune didn’t know how to make a buff.

This wasn’t unexpected, of course, so far all he’d done was focus Mana into one part of his body or another.

Now trying to narrow down something to buff to apply Mana to, it was far more difficult.

Jaune couldn’t buff strength by just focusing on his muscles, it didn’t seem to work that way.

Maybe he was going about it wrong, but maybe he wasn’t. Jaune didn’t know.

Then, Jaune was struck by an idea.

“System, help?” He said out loud.

The only thing that responded was the sounds of the breeze as it gusted across the leaves of the Emerald Forest.

Then, a notification.

** [Welcome to the System Guide!] **

** [Please enter your query!] **

“Creating Buffs,” Jaune enunciated clearly.

** [Parsing…] **

** [To create a buff skill, focus on the stat you wish to buff, and apply Mana!] **

** [Please enter your query!] **

“Umm…” Jaune muttered. “Focusing on stats?”

** [Parsing…] **

** [To focus on a stat, simply consider that stat in your mind!] **

** [Please enter your query!] **

“Dismissed,” Jaune said, and he watched as the window closed itself.

Then, for step two, he thought hard. Not about his muscles, or his brain, but the very stat itself.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Power (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you may buff your STR stat whilst concentrating. Initial cast costs 50 MP, lasts for 1 minute. Subsequent casts cost 30 MP, and reset the timer. Cast cost resets if time limit is exceeded. Buff is + _ _ Skill Level _ _ % of STR. _ _** Level 1; XP 1/12. ** _ ** ] **

Jaune didn’t feel any different, but when he read through the skill description he understood why. He was currently gaining a 1% boost in STR, which was nothing.

Jaune also noticed he’d have to maintain an eye on the little timer that sat in the corner of his peripheral vision, counting down from a minute.

All in all, though, a useful skill to have.

Jaune decided to make the rest of the buff skills whilst he had time, on the way back to the dorm. He’d already been out here for enough time, that was for sure.

First, though, he’d confront the watcher he’d noticed a few seconds ago.

Jaune drew Crocea Mors with ease, stepping forward towards where  _ Sixth Sense _ had triggered.

The Beowolf emerged, maw bleeding, covered in cuts and scratches, and Jaune quickly observed it.

** [Beowolf] **

** [Grimm, Level 5] **

An easy kill, Jaune knew it. He stepped forwards and quickly delivered what could only be considered a mercy, driving Crocea Mors into the neck of the lupine Grimm, where it seemed to simply crumple and collapse on the ground, already fading away.

** [Encounter Complete!] **

** [You gained 719 XP!] **

** [A skill has leveled!] **

** [ ** _** Power ** _ ** has reached Level 4!] **

** [A title has reached a new rank!] **

** [You are now an Amateur Huntsman!] **

Now Jaune could head back.

* * *

  


  
  
  



	14. Rapscallions of the Highest Degree

* * *

  


Somehow, Jaune had walked into an argument.

“What could there possibly be reason for the White Fang to rob a Dust store? They’re not thieves, they fight for respect and freedom!” Blake shouted, showing the most emotion so far.

“ What reason is there for them not to! They’re criminals, scum, bottom of the barrel! They robbed the Dust store for the same reason other Faunus commit crimes!” Weiss replied with an equal amount of heat, which meant her voice had reached a pitch that reminded Jaune way to much of the aftermath of  _ Mana Flash _ .

“Woah, hey, what’s going on?” Jaune asked, staring at the bickering partnership.

“Weiss believes that all Faunus are scum!” Blake said, voice dripping with venom.

“What!? You claim that the White Fang are good guys!” Weiss exclaimed.

Jaune shook his head. “I know what you’re arguing about, I doubt most of Beacon doesn’t with how loud the two of you are. Why are you arguing about it?”

Neither girl was able to answer without restating what they’d previously said, which is exactly what they did.

Jaune sighed. “Well, this isn’t getting anywhere. If you two want to sort this out, can you find somewhere secluded, or soundproof, or preferably both.”

The two ignored him, instead deciding to continue their argument.

Jaune decided to go speak with his partner, instead.

He sat next to her, giving her a tap on the shoulder.

Pyrrha took her earphones out, and gave a quick, half-hearted smile.

“How long have they been at it?” Jaune asked, nodding his head in the pair’s direction.

“About ten minutes now. I stopped listening about eight minutes ago, so far it’s been the same points over and over again. I’d normally try to stop them, but that didn’t work out so well when I tried. If they want to fight, Jaune, they can. Not much either of us can do to sort it ourselves,” Pyrrha explained.

Jaune nodded in agreement. “So, should I get some popcorn, or drinks, or something? Maybe a scoreboard?”

The sound of choked-back laughter escaped Pyrrha’s lips as both Weiss and Blake glared at Jaune.

“No, don’t let me interrupt,” Jaune said.

He wasn’t prepared, however, for the argument to go on for another five minutes.

“Alright, enough!” It’s been fifteen minutes! Can’t you just agree to disagree!?” Jaune exclaimed, fed up with the situation.

“Hmph. Do you know why I hate the White Fang, Blake? Because they’ve been enemies of my family for years. Imagine growing up in a house, almost completely alone, whilst your father slowly but surely becomes more and more aggressive, more and more violent, because every month, at least one member of the board of directors turns up dead,” Weiss said, her voice quieter than it had been in the past quarter-hour.

Blake went to say something, but Weiss wasn’t finished, her voice ramping back up again. “No! I knew them, ate dinner with them, and then someone  _ mailed their head to our doorstep _ . Multiple times! Sometimes it wasn’t even the head! Sometimes it was an arm, or a finger, or a toe! Wrapped in bloody ransom notes! Do you know what that’s like!?” She shouted.

“Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!” Blake screamed back, before paling.

Jaune snapped his head to the raven-haired girl that looked inches away from death.

“Blake…” He began, but she was already sprinting out of the room, leaving three very stunned teenagers.

“Oh, shit.”

* * *

  


** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Leading A Team (Part 2) ** _ ** ] **

** [Find and speak with Blake Belladonna.] **

** [Reward: 5000 XP] **

RRYN, Pyrrha and Jaune were in Vale.

Normally, this’d be an occasion for celebration, but today it wasn’t.

Evening had fallen steadily, and even the indomitable spirit that was Nora was starting to get tired.

“Jaune, we’re not going to be able to find Blake at night. We have to head back, and come out in the morning,” Pyrrha said, placing a hand on Jaune’s shoulder.

“Damnit, Pyr, this was my fault. I shouldn’t have let them argue, I shouldn’t have let her run. I should’ve been there to help her. What kind of bloody leader am I?” Jaune half-whispered, rubbing his face.

“Jaune, it isn’t your fault. Come on, we’ll come back tomorrow,” Pyrrha replied.

“Yeah… You go back with RRYN. I’ll keep looking, just for a bit. I can’t give up, not yet.”

Pyrrha gave her partner a sympathetic look, before turning around. “C’mon, Ruby. Let’s head back. Jaune’s going to stay a little longer, then he’ll be back.”

Ruby gave Jaune a sad smile and a small wave, before motioning for her team to follow her.

“Good luck, Jaune,” She called, and soon Jaune was left alone, in the middle of Vale in mid-evening.

“Now, if I was a Faunus hiding her heritage, where would I be?” Jaune asked himself, looking around.

They knew the residential district was clear, they’d spent at least an hour asking around, to no avail.

There were a few other options, but Jaune didn’t really know where to start.

Of course, Jaune wasn’t without abilities to make this slightly easier on himself.

Actually…

Jaune was without abilities to make this slightly easier on himself.

How, after spending all afternoon learning new skills, did he not have a single skill that would be applicable in this situation?

Well, he supposed he could just start blowing up Vale until she arrived to investigate, but there were a whole lot of problems with that idea.

Jaune broke into a jog, headed down the boulevard that he’d been standing on talking to himself and looking to the world like a fool, but as he rounded the corner he found something very hard stop him.

The two of them collapsed onto the ground, and Jaune suddenly was very happy for  _ System Mind _ and its ability to eliminate embarrassment.

Olive would be so happy to make fun of him for this.

Jaune clambered to his feet quickly. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t see you there, that’s my bad! Are you okay?” He asked, reaching a hand out to help up the girl he’d practically crushed underneath him.

The ginger-haired girl took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet.

“Yes, I’m quite fine! Thank you for helping me up!” The girl said, her voice somewhat disjointed.

“Well. uh… sorry about that. Hey, you wouldn’t have happened to see a black-haired girl with a bow run past anytime soon, would you?” Jaune asked, going for the longshot.

Swish, swish, score.

“Yes, I did! Twenty minutes ago, in fact! She was with a boy with a blond monkey tail, actually!” The girl said.

“Oh, thank you so much… uh…” Jaune began, before realising he hadn’t actually asked the girl her name.

“I’m Penny!” Penny exclaimed, seemingly way to happy about her own name.

“I’m Jaune. Nice to meet you, Penny. I’ve got to go catch up with the black-haired girl, though. Do you know which direction they went?”

Penny pointed down the road Jaune had been headed. “Last I saw they were headed down there!”

Jaune began to jog away, nodding a thanks to Penny. “Thanks, Penny! You’re a great help!”

Penny nodded to herself in satisfaction.

* * *

  


The Blackest Roast was a cafe in downtown Vale that featured a plethora of coffee blends, along with some of the best teas in all of Vale.

Jaune wasn’t surprised when he noted that second part. The place was classy but not five-star, and had a homely, art-deco style that really blended well with the concept they were going for.

It also featured an exterior balcony covered in tables on the second floor, and Jaune could see the tip of a blond tail sticking up over the edge.

The door chimed open as Jaune stepped over the threshold, and the attendant there looked to him. “I’m sorry, sir, we’re closing in twenty minutes. We can’t brew any fresh coffee, but we do have some tea available if you would like.”

“No thanks. I’m just here to see a friend, that’s all,” Jaune answered, and the attendant nodded.

AWBN’s leader quickly and quietly scaled the stairs, and stepped out onto the balcony.

“You know the White Fang?” The raven-haired girl with the cat ears atop her head asked the blond boy with the monkey tail.

“The crazy terrorists? Yeah, I know ‘em,” The boy replied, blissfully unaware of Jaune’s presence.

“I was once a part of the White Fang,” Blake continued, and Jaune couldn’t help but smirk as the blond nearly spat out his tea.

“I mean, yeah, the White Fang, glad someone’s fighting for our rights!”

Jaune didn’t need to see Blake’s face to know she’d raised an eyebrow.

“You could’ve just told us, Blake,” Jaune said, announcing his presence.

Blake wanted to pretend she wasn’t surprised, but she knew Jaune had noticed the slight jump she did when he spoke up.

She handled the delivery of her lines well, though, to her credit.

“What, and tell the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company that I was an ex-terrorist who’d worked alongside those who’d assassinated members of the company’s board of directors?”

Jaune fell silent for a moment. “You could’ve told me. I’m your team leader, Blake. If you can’t trust me, who can you trust? Some random guy you found on the street? No offense.”

“None taken.”

“It isn’t about trust, Jaune. I left the White Fang because of what they’ve become. I can’t let my past mistakes define me,” Blake replied.

Jaune pulled one of the chairs closer to the table, and took a seat. “You really are foolish, you know that? I’m the last one to judge about keeping secrets, I’ll give you that, but still. At least I told you I was keeping a secret, and that I couldn’t tell you what it was. You just pretended the whole time. How do you think I feel, how Pyrrha feels. Hell, how Weiss feels? She trusted you, you’re her partner, and you spent the entire time lying to her!”

“She’s as bad as her father. You really think I care about how Weiss feels?” Blake asked, a hint of venom on the words.

Jaune gave a short, sharp bark of laughter. “You think you don’t? I’m no idiot, Blake. I can tell whether someone’s guilty or not, I’ve had plenty of practise. You care, of course you do. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have left the White Fang, you wouldn’t have run when Weiss discovered your heritage, you wouldn’t still be in Vale, trying to figure out how to solve this problem yourself!”

That stunned Blake into silence.

“Yeah, I’m not stupid, Blake. If you really didn’t care, you’d be on the nearest airship headed to gods-know-where. So, what’s your plan?”

“I... “ Blake fell silent, deep in thought. “In order to prove that I’m not guilty, and that the White Fang aren’t guilty, it would be to go to a crime in progress, and not see the actual culprits in action.”

Jaune raised an eyebrow. “I’m usually for hare-brained schemes, but this seems a little too random.”

“Not really. There’s a shipment of SDC Dust coming in to the docks in like half an hour. We could go check it out,” The blond monkey-Faunus said, and Jaune turned to him.

“I’m Jaune Arc.”

“Sun Wukong. Nice to meet ‘ya.”

Blake sighed.

** [Quest Updated!] **

** [ ** _** Leading A Team (Part 2) ** _ ** ] **

** [Discover who is stealing the Dust, and stop the culprit.] **

** [5000 XP] **

* * *

  


The docks, unsurprisingly, smelt like salt water, smoke and fish.

It was also well lit by massive spotlights, covered in barbed wire topped chainlink fences and shipping containers.

Which shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the basic concept of a dock.

However, from their vantage point atop an adjacent warehouse, Jaune, Blake and Sun found something that was a surprise.

White Fang members, clad in uniform, directing other White Fang members clad in uniform around, the Faunus terrorists quickly and quietly doing their best to prepare the shipping containers for transport.

“Damn it. I was hoping I was wrong,” Blake muttered under her breath.

“Wait. Something’s wrong,” Jaune said, staring down into the dock.

“C’mon, you animals! I don’t pay you to stand around and fail miserably at a heist! It’s simple, really! I stand around and look dashing, and you do all the work!”

“What the..? Is that Roman Torchwick?” Jaune asked, trying to make out the face.

The Faunus, with better eyesight, both nodded. “Something’s wrong. The White Fang would never work with Torchwick. I need to check this out,” Blake said.

“Wait!” Jaune hissed, right as Blake dropped off the roof of the warehouse, quietly making her way towards the master-thief.

“Damnit, Blake. I’m the team leader, you need to follow my orders!” Jaune said to himself, hopelessly.

“I know the feeling, man. Team leading is hard,” Sun commiserated.

“C’mon, then. We need to go help her out,” Jaune said, gripping Crocea Mors in one hand as he carefully dropped over the edge of the roof, Aura pooling in his legs as he landed as softly as he could, a quiet thump echoing over the docks.

Sun was far more silent as he dropped, using his prehensile tail to hook around an exterior light that jutted out of the side of the warehouse, before lightly dropping to his feet.

His weapon was drawn, and so Jaune followed suit, drawing Crocea Mors carefully, trying his best to not let the metal grind against metal.

The two snuck closer, only to hear the stealthiest of the three effectively announce her presence.

They peaked around the corner of the shipping crate they were taking cover behind, to see Blake with her blade at Torchwick’s neck.

“Brothers and sisters of the White Fang, why are you aiding this scum?!” Blake called out, her bow tied around her wrist, feline ears exposed.

Of course, there was no answer.

“Ha. Haven’t you heard, kitty cat? The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together!” Roman said, his cane raising ever so slightly from the ground.

“What? They’d never-” Blake never got a chance to finish the sentence as Roman pulled the hidden trigger on his cane, a projectile leaving the barrel and impacting against the ground behind the feline Faunus.

Blake, thrown off balance, stumbled, and Roman quickly took advantage of that, throwing her to the side and aiming.

Jaune wasn’t about to let all this go down without him taking a turn, and he charged towards the thief. “Sun, take care of the Fang!”

Sun was already on it, having moved the moment Jaune did, his staff spinning in one single fluid motion, knocking White Fang grunt after White Fang grunt to the ground.

Jaune couldn’t spare the monkey-faunus any more attention, though, as a far more dangerous foe entered his melee range.

A slash, easily deflected, and a stab, easily side-stepped, proved that Torchwick was a primarily agility-based fighter, and so Jaune switched up his tactics to suit such a fight.

Roman would be likely to fight dirty, and Jaune was equally prepared for that, if it came down to it.

He was hoping he could finish this before it got really dangerous.

Jaune did something Roman was most definitely not expecting.

Jaune threw his shield.

The criminal barely had time to blink as Jaune channeled his inner-Pyrrha, flinging the admittedly large metal shield at him, and as it impacted against the stunned thief’s chest Jaune rushed forward, now-empty hand outstretched.

Roman, to his credit, recovered quickly, and assumed Jaune was reaching for a grab, an attempt to grapple him, but Roman couldn’t have been more wrong.

The immense blast of Mana that escaped Jaune’s hand forced the snappily-dressed criminal backwards, and threw him off balance, the man having to strain to not fall backwards.

Jaune hadn’t stopped moving forwards, though, and Crocea Mors, held tightly, swung into Roman’s view, the blade arcing towards his head at an incredible speed.

Jaune was most definitely not what Roman had been suspecting. With a backstep, Roman allowed himself to lose balance slightly, his own body weight carrying him out of the reach of the glinting blade, before his own cane came up, end popping open to reveal the barrel.

A pull of the trigger, Jaune found himself staring down a rapidly approaching flare, glowing red, and having thrown his shield, Jaune was remarkably unable to protect himself as it impacted against his chest, his Aura flaring up as the explosion enveloped him in a plume of fire and smoke.

When Jaune recovered, he was glad to note that Roman hadn’t used the explosion as cover to approach. He was also unhappy to remember that Roman didn’t need to approach, as he had access to a ranged option.

That wasn’t to say Jaune didn’t have a multitude of ranged options, either, it was just that he didn’t really want to advertise his semblance to a world-renowned criminal who would be more than happy to sell that information to anyone or everyone he came across.

Ozpin’s warning was still fresh on his mind, after all.

Jaune looked to the side to see Sun locked in combat with the group of White Fang grunts who hadn’t collapsed yet, which was more than it was less, but Sun looked as if he’d barely broken a sweat.

Blake was up, though, and already working her way towards Torchwick, who’d noticed her approach and was already moving to intercept.

Jaune wasn’t going to let a teammate attack alone, so in Jaune went, holding Crocea Mors in a two-handed grip just for the sake of having something to do with his other hand.

And yet Roman was prepared. His cane swung up, blocked Blake’s blade, and her second blade came in, and Roman stepped back, the blade missing, and Jaune swung in, joining in the fray, and Roman spun, a flourish that served to both avoid Jaune’s attack, and to make some distance.

Blake and Jaune closed in, the two trying their best to outflank the criminal, but Roman made sure to keep both of them within his vision, not allowing either to step into his blindspot.

Blake lashed out first, blade cutting through the very air as it soared towards Torchwick’s head, but Torchwick replied in kind, ducking under the strike and blocking the follow up, before stepping closer and swinging with his cane.

Blake’s semblance kicked in, though, and as the cane carved through, flesh became shadow and faded from existence, as Jaune was already in motion. Blake had used Roman’s attack to get in his blindspot, and Jaune was doing his best to keep Roman’s attention away from that fact.

Jaune, even mid-fight, could hear Sun blasting away at the grunts, but he couldn’t see what exactly was happening, as Roman seemed to stop holding back.

His cane moved blindingly fast, blocking or redirecting every hit Jaune sent his way, and despite the obvious disadvantage that Roman should’ve been at, the man was proving the reason he was one of, if not the most wanted criminals in Vale.

A man like this should’ve, and wasn’t, an easy fight by any stretch.

Blake slashed at the criminal’s unprotected back, but the man seemed to have predicted it, spinning and hooking the curved part of his cane around Blake’s wrist, tugging and flinging her into a shipping container with a surprising amount of force, the ex-terrorist leaving a dent as she slid to the ground.

She wasn’t down for the count, not yet, but Jaune knew that had put a sizable dampening in her Aura, and considering she’d already taken a few hits, that wasn’t a good thing.

“Roman, surrender! Your little operation is over!” Jaune shouted, blustering with confidence he didn’t have.

“Ha! Little? Someone ought to send you a memo, kid! This ain’t a little operation!” Roman replied with a hearty laugh, gesturing wide.

It seemed this was a signal of some sort, the criminal having a penchant for the dramatic.

The cacophonous sounds of not one, not two, not four, but three Bullheads suddenly filled the docks, as did the air currents their engines kicked up, blowing Jaune’s hair back as they hovered in closer.

“It looks like my ride’s here!” Roman called out. “It’s been a real pleasure, kiddos, feel free to never visit!”

Roman bowed, giving his hat a small tilt, and suddenly, a pink and brown haired girl was next to him, a smirk on her face.

She hooked an arm through his, and Jaune resolved himself to not care about the warning Ozpin had given him.

Arm outstretched, Jaune willed Mana into his hand, and suddenly a  _ Mana Bolt _ left his palm, arcing through the air and impacting against Roman’s head.

What Jaune expected to happen, is not what actually happened.

He’d expected Roman to block it, or the new hostile to block it, or either of them to dodge, or anything but what happened.

Roman and the girl exploded into a million shards of glass.

Jaune gaped at the remnants of his  _ Mana Bolt _ , giving his hand a glance.

“Did I just kill them?” He asked himself aloud, looking between his palm and the remaining pieces of glass that lay strewn across the concrete.

Of course, as Jaune looked up at the Bullheads, he noticed a very smug looking Roman giving him a wave as they took off, each Bullhead loaded with a shipping crate, emblazoned with the Schnee Dust Company logo.

Jaune didn’t think Weiss would be able to be more angry than she had been earlier today, but Jaune had been wrong before.

Many times, in fact.

Jaune looked towards the red and blue lights that he could see approaching, sirens growing louder.

“Well, that could’ve gone better.”

* * *

  


“Wilful destruction of property, wilful endangerment of yourself and others, so many crimes that you’ve committed in a poor attempt to prevent a crime from being committed. I’d be proud if I wasn’t so disappointed.”

Jaune couldn’t meet the blonde woman’s eyes, choosing to stare at the floor instead.

“Mr Arc, we both know you should not have intervened. Roman Torchwick is not a man to be taken lightly, nor are any of his associates. Considering he seems to have garnered some new associates, as well, I feel as if you are already aware of that.”

Goodwitch turned to face the second of three people who stood there, eyes down.

“Ms Belladonna, I feel like repeating myself would be counter-productive to having you actually listen to an authority figure for once, but there are a few choice words I am contractually obligated not to say to you. Despite that, you dragged your team into a situation that could’ve been avoided, due to an inability to control your emotions. Learn from this experience, lest you make it once more.”

Blake’s cat ears drooped atop her head, amber eyes not leaving the ground.

“And you. I don’t actually know who you are.”

“Sun Wukong, ma’am. Student from Haven Academy, I got here early,” Sun replied, not raising his head.

“I suppose I will have to get in touch with Lionheart, he can decide your punishment. I will be recommending that he is harsh, however.”

Sun gulped.

“All of you, dismissed… Actually, Mr Wukong, stay here. Your unscheduled arrival requires me to accelerate certain processes, and you need somewhere to stay. I assume you haven’t thought that far ahead?”

Sun shook his head.

“Then Mr Arc, Ms Belladonna, dismissed. Mr Wukong, follow me.”

As Goodwitch left, Jaune and Blake finally lifted their heads, watching as an increasingly nervous Sun was led out of the room.

“Yeah, that definitely could’ve gone better,” Jaune remarked, releasing a breath he didn’t realise he was holding.

“I…” Blake began, before falling silent. She didn’t resume, however, and Jaune could tell she was nervous.

“Blake, Pyrrha and Weiss are probably in our room. We’ve got a little time before we have to go back, so if you want to talk this through we can.”

Blake looked as if she was considering the proposition.

“I have to face Weiss, no matter what happened. She’s my partner, and I don’t just want to give up on Beacon because of what I am, or who I was,” Blake answered, finally.

“Good. You know you have to apologize, right? Not for who you were, but for what you said. Both of you do, actually.”

Blake looked like she wanted to glare at him, but couldn’t. “I know. I’m not happy about it, but…”

Jaune walked to the door and opened it, gesturing to Blake to leave. “Well, it’s like a bandage. You just gotta rip it off fast, get it over and done with.”

“You’d know about constant apologies, wouldn’t you, Jaune,” Blake commented.

“Seven sisters, Blake. It’d be a weird day if I didn’t somehow annoy one of them.”

* * *

  


Jaune was, unsurprisingly, in the shower. Granted, he was covered in dust, smoke and various industrial grime, and for the second time today he was rinsing himself of combat residue.

He was also, unsurprisingly, using his alone time to manage the System.

** [Quest Complete!] **

** [ ** _** Leading A Team (Part 2) ** _ ** ] **

** [Have Blake Belladonna rejoin Team AWBN.] **

** [Reward: 5000 XP] **

Jaune hadn’t gotten any experience from his fight with Torchwick, but that was to be expected, seeing as Roman had gotten away.

He had, however, gotten a not-so-insignificant amount of XP from the quest reward, and Blake was back with AWBN, so it was really two rewards.

Although, now that he thought about it, he should really ask her about what she was really doing in the Emerald Forest when he found her.

“Man, what a team. Professional tournament fighter, conglomerate heiress, ex-terrorist, and a video-game character. We’re a motley crew, alright,” Jaune murmured to himself, as hot water poured over his theoretically battered body.

And to think, he didn’t even have to listen to either partner air their grievances to each other, get angry, and then attempt to force themselves past that anger and past prejudices in an attempt to work together.

Because it would’ve been far too much to listen to the two of them go at it for a second time in one day.

* * *

  


  
  
  



	15. Startling Revelations

* * *

  


“So, let me get this straight. You guys went out of your way to pick a fight with the White Fang, for the sole reason of not finding the White Fang?”

Yang had a remarkable way of repeating what Jaune and Blake had explained in a way that reduced it into a single, nonsensical sentence that made no coherent attempt at basic logic.

Regardless, it seemed the most apt way of putting it, so Jaune just sighed and nodded, exasperated at the couple minutes he and Blake had spent explaining the situation from the previous night.

“Well, I’m glad we could help, even if we didn’t really do much,” Ruby said, and Jaune gave her a smile.

“I wouldn’t say you didn’t do anything, Ruby. You guys helped me narrow down where Blake was hiding. I’ve been contractually obliged not to mention the word scaredy-cat, though, so I’ve decided not to say it.”

Blake punched him in the arm, leveling a glare for good measure.

“So, it’s all sorted?” Ren asked, a concerned expression gracing his usually relaxed face.

“Yes, thank you Ren. I’m sorry all this happened, and I’m sorry to have bothered you all,” Blake said, apologising.

“Aw, Blakey, it was nothing!” Nora and Yang chorused, before swapping amused glances.

“Seriously, though, Blake, we’d do it again for you. AWBN’s our sister team, and you’re our friend,” Ruby said.

“Wait, sister team?” Jaune asked, momentarily drawn away from the admittedly sweet moment that was playing out in front of him.

“Well, yeah. Brother team just sounds weird.”

Jaune gaped. “What about sibling team?”

Ruby shook her head. “Nah, still sounds weird. Don’t worry though, Jaune, we’ll consider you an honorary girl!”

Jaune stared in mute shock, and Ren offered him a nonchalant shrug. “Don’t fight it, honorary sister. Us honorary sisters must stick together in these trying times.”

“Well, where are Weiss and Pyrrha?” Ruby asked.

“Weiss is still coming to terms with our, erm, situation, and Pyrrha is doing her best to work her through it, as the most neutral, least aggravating member of our team. Sidenote, I’m aggravating, apparently.” Jaune explained.

“I’d actually agree with Weiss, there. You are pretty aggravating,” Blake interjected.

“Says the girl I’ve had to rescue multiple times when she threw herself in danger recklessly.”

“Says the guy who blundered about a Grimm-infested forest and distracted me.”

“Technically, your being distracted was entirely your own fault. And you decided to solo Roman Torchwick and all his White Fang grunts without any backup, a plan, or anything.”

Blake shut her mouth, frowning grumpily as the comeback she’d been preparing died on her lips.

“Speaking of solo-ing Roman Torchwick, what happened to him?” Ruby asked, and Jaune rounded a curious gaze on his younger fellow leader.

“Uh, he escaped in a Bullhead,” Jaune replied succinctly.

“Damn, same. That sucks.”

Jaune and Blake both tilted their heads in confusion.

“Didn’t I tell you? Either of you? I swear I did… I got into Beacon early because I fought and nearly captured Torchwick when he was robbing a Dust store in downtown Vale,” Ruby explained.

“Huh,” Jaune said.

Blake seemed to non-verbally echo his sentiments.

“Well, we’ll get him next time!” Ruby cheered.

Five people stared at Ruby.

“Um, what? Ruby, what do you mean next time?” Jaune asked.

“Well, we’ve got to stop him, don’t we? He’s a bad guy, and we’re the good guys.”

Jaune frowned.

“Ruby, it isn’t so black and white out there. We can’t just stop Torchwick. We’d have to find him, and be strong enough to stop him, amongst other things. Besides, I’m pretty sure Blake and I were inches away from getting expelled, and neither of us have seen Sun since Goodwitch dragged him off to a torture chamber, dorm room, either or,” Jaune said, shuffling in his seat on the couch.

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m with Ruby. Torchwick needs to be stopped,” Yang said, placing a hand on her younger sister’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I can break his legs!” Nora cheered, and Ren, outvoted by popular majority and uncaring about the result, nodded agreement.

“Well, uh, I guess RRYN will be helping us, Blake. We should probably tell the others, I guess.”

Blake sighed.

* * *

  


Weiss was frustrated. So was Pyrrha, but neither were for the same reason.

Weiss was trying to get over years and years of inborn racism and hatred that had been practically brainwashed into her as she was raised.

Pyrrha was trying not to lose control of her semblance and crush every metal object in the dorm buildings as she realised exactly to what extent Weiss’s mental  ‘ _ training’ _ , if it could be called that, reached.

Jacques Schnee. Pyrrha had always heard negative things concerning the man, and even the smallest, least private thing about the man that Weiss revealed sent quivers of rage down Pyrrha’s spine.

Pyrrha wasn’t the kind of person to get angry. She’d been told hundreds of times that public image was as important as skill in combat, and it was apparent that she and Weiss had similar lessons, though Weiss’s were done by a racist, megalomaniacal monopolizing business dictator without morals, and Pyrrha’s were done by her friendly, well-meaning agent.

So it was well within her right to be mad.

The elder Schnee hadn’t raised children, he’d raised programs. It was only Weiss’ leaving Atlas that helped her get even this far into breaking that densely programmed shell that cruel man had put into place.

Blake, ironically, had done nothing but help. She’d effectively lured Weiss into believing a false sense of security, shattered it, and then given Weiss two options.

Buckle and side with her father, or accept her partner for who she was.

Pyrrha was just glad that Weiss wasn’t completely brainwashed.

“I just… I can’t, Pyrrha. I want to, I really do, but every time I see her, I remember all these things, these little memories I’d long forgotten. Every time I see her, it just… hurts. It makes my head hurt, and I hear his voice, and I just want to forget it.”

Pyrrha could feel her heart slowly but surely breaking.

“Weiss…”

“No! I… I have to toughen up, push through it, bottle it up, divert it, something! I can’t be like him, Pyrrha, I won’t. I… I can do this. I think.”

Pyrrha watched as the platinum-haired heiress paced about the dorm room, tense expression on her face.

“I can’t let him win, Pyrrha, but I can’t let him lose either. If he wins, I’m without a team, and if he loses, I’m without the SDC, the one thing I’m working towards!”

Pyrrha picked up on that. “Why?”

It seemed to snap Weiss out of her mental overload, at least. “Why what?”

“Why is it the one thing you’re working towards?” Pyrrha reiterated.

“It’s… You know that the SDC runs on cheap, unsafe Faunus labour and almost-illegal business deals. I want to be in charge, to make it better for all those who work for it. It isn’t fair for the SDC to be a monopoly, it isn’t fair for them to practically force Faunus into those mines, and yet…”

“Your father convinced you that that was how business had to be conducted,” Pyrrha finished.

“Exactly. Pyrrha, out of all of us, you’re the closest to understanding my situation, even if our comparisons aren’t anywhere close. What would you do?”

Pyrrha closed her eyes, thinking deeply for a moment.

“What would it take for you to no longer be the heiress, Weiss?” Pyrrha asked.

“I’m not sure. It depends on the severity of the offense, and the severity of Father’s mood,” Weiss replied.

“So, why does it have to be a competition, and I know, that’s a little ironic coming from me. Why not just accept Blake for who she is, and just not mention it to your father?”

Weiss’s mouth opened and closed as the words she tried to say failed to escape any further than her head.

“If your father doesn’t know, then what’s the problem?” Pyrrha asked, and Weiss slumped into her bed.

“I… I don’t know,” Weiss admitted.

“Besides, Blake still owes us a more detailed explanation,” Pyrrha said, and Weiss whipped her head around. “I know you said you didn’t want to hear it, but Jaune and I are still concerned. We’ve been waiting for you, though, not that it’s a problem you trying to wrap your head around all this. We understand it can be a little… strange.”

Weiss would’ve chuckled, were she that kind of person. “Strange, Pyrrha? This is strange? I like Blake well enough, she’s my partner, but calling an ex-terrorist strange is a little bit of an understatement. I’d like to consider it world-shattering at least.”

Weiss didn’t get to compound on her previous statement, however, as the knock on the door to their dorm saved her from digging herself a deeper hole.

“Yes?” The platinum-blonde asked, only to be answered when the door opened, revealing those they were speaking of.

“Hello Jaune, Blake.”

Weiss’s voice was stiff, but Jaune simply shrugged it aside, likely chalking it up to nerves.

“Hey Weiss. You ready for us all to figure all this out?” Their leader asked, taking a seat on his bed.

Blake stepped over the threshold and quietly shut the door behind her as Weiss thought about her answer.

“Yes. I… believe I am ready,” came her answer, and Jaune gave a comforting smile.

“Okay. So, Blake, where do you want to start?”

Blake eyed her leader for a moment, before taking a seat on his bed, next to him, a similar distance between the two, something Pyrrha was doing with Weiss.

“It would probably be best if we started at the beginning.”

* * *

  


“The White Fang was not always the organisation it is today. It was once a group of peaceful protesters, rebelling against corrupt governments that continued to discriminate against the Faunus,” Blake began.

“My father, Ghira Belladonna, was the leader, the head of the White Fang when it was peaceful. He was responsible for the governments acknowledging that Faunus had the same rights as humanity, and when that came, he stepped down, deciding to focus on his role as Menagerie’s chieftain, and his family.”

Jaune, Weiss and Pyrrha listened closely, for the first time getting information about their mysterious teammates past.

“My father taught me about right and wrong, about good and bad, and every example he used was of his past experience. Nothing he said was about humanity as a whole, but about individuals amongst the humans. As time went on, the White Fang continued, my father still attended various meetings concerning the White Fang, but he no longer lead it. That role had been passed down to a woman by the name of Sienna Khan, the current leader of the White Fang.”

Jaune noticed Weiss’s knuckles clench, fists bound tight.

“Sienna Khan… She thought that my father hadn’t gone far enough. She thought that peaceful protests and boycotts weren’t doing enough. She kept pushing, and pushing, and the White Fang reached a point where the violence became more commonplace.”

Blake’s face was contorted in sadness.

“My parents decided to completely leave the White Fang at this point, but I didn’t want to abandon my people. I couldn’t, because I thought it was working. Sienna and my mentor, the two of them were the people I looked up to the most aside from my parents. I…”

Blake trailed off, and Jaune, Pyrrha and even Weiss waited for her to continue.

“I ran away from home, and joined my mentor on his mission to lead the White Fang’s Vale branch. I became their second in command, the scout, the infiltrator. Anything I could do to help, or to impress my mentor. I don’t even remember when it stopped being about the rights of Faunus and became the subjugation of humanity. It kind of just… did.”

Blake, at this point, had closed her eyes, hands balled into fists.

“It wasn’t until just before Beacon started this year that I truly realised the depth of the mistake I’d made. We were robbing a train for Dust, I don’t know why, when my mentor and I faced off against a massive Atlesian mech. It nearly got us, but my mentor held it off.”

A single tear welled in the corner of Blake’s now open eyes, amber glare intensely leveled at the ground.

“He handed me explosives, told me to place them. I asked about the passengers, and his only response was ‘what about them’. I… I couldn’t, there was no way I could do that sort of thing. So, I cut the car, using the time I had to get as far away as possible. I didn’t have anywhere to go, anywhere to stay, and no money to my name, and I hadn’t even made it to Vale when I bumped into Jaune.”

Blake glared at Jaune, making the teen wince. “Well, he bumped into me, anyway. I figured that Beacon would be the safest place for me to stay, and so I did just that.”

The silence stretched on for a moment after Blake finished.

“Well, at least I know what you were doing in the middle of the Emerald Forest,” Jaune remarked. “I’ve only waited a few months to find that out.”

Blake rounded on her leader. “Really? That’s all you’ve got to say?”

Jaune gulped, before becoming more serious. “It’s just… all of you have such interesting history, so much talent and passion for the things that you love. Pyrrha’s a world champion tournament fighter, you’re an ex-revolutionary-turned-terrorist, and Weiss is the heiress to the biggest conglomerate on Remnant, and then there’s just me. Just Jaune Arc, the guy who didn’t even have a semblance until just before he got to Vale.”

“Blake, I just have one question. Who was your mentor?”

Weiss’s voice cut through any emotion that had been in the air, leaving the room once more cold.

Blake resumed her stare at the ground. “A-Adam Taurus.”

The moment the name left her mouth Weiss was up on her feet, pacing back and forth.

“He… he never used to be like this, Weiss, I swear. He and I grew up together, he taught me how to fight. I was so blind, I didn’t see he was changing. That he’d changed.”

Blake’s words seemed to pass right by Weiss.

“My father spoke of the White Fang at length. One name that came up very, very often was Ghira Belladonna. Another was Sienna Khan. The third, the one he spoke with the most venom, was Adam Taurus,” Weiss said, still pacing.

“For years, my father ranted and raved about Taurus. ‘That beast is nothing but a nuisance’ he would say. ‘Another member of the board dead’ he’d say.” Weiss sat back down on the bed.

They weren’t good people. I knew that. I know that. But they were still people. They had families, they had loved ones. And Taurus took that away. And you were his student?”

The pure accusatory tone that Weiss’s voice had made Blake wince.

“I didn’t know, Weiss. If I had’ve, we would be having a very different conversation. I… I think I loved him. I was so blind to his faults, so blind to the misdeeds, the misgivings, that I just didn’t see it. I’m sorry,” Blake said, head in her hands.

Pyrrha and Jaune shared a glance.

“Blake, it isn’t me you need to apologise to!” Weiss exclaimed, making all three of her teammates look to her in shock. “Honestly, if Taurus had killed my father, I’d probably not be all that sad about it! It’s the people who were good, the innocent lives that he’s taken! They’re who you have to apologise to!”

“Honestly, my father is an irredeemable monster, Blake! But I’m not like him, I can’t be like him! I’m trying so damn hard not to be like him, to be my own person, but you keep making it more and more difficult! I can’t just look past this as if it didn’t happen!” Weiss was back on her feet again, this time standing right in front of Blake.

Blake didn’t reply, still stunned.

“Look, normally I’d be the voice of reason if all else failed. If Jaune suggested something dumb, normally Pyrrha would veto it. If it went past Pyrrha, it would be vetoed by Blake, and if it got past Blake somehow, I’d be the last line of defense, but you, you…”

Blake looked back up at Weiss, as the girl struggled for words. “You… you skipped all the steps, and just jumped right in, consequences be damned! You can’t do that, we’re a team! If Jaune couldn’t get that through your thick skull, I don’t know how I’ll be able to, but I’m sure as hell going to try!”

It was the most infuriated Jaune had ever seen the heiress.

“And the biggest problem is that now I can’t be the voice of reason, because the White Fang and Roman Torchwick are stealing my stuff!”

Jaune released a gasp of air in pure shock.

“What?” The three chorused, surprised.

Weiss glanced around. “Did you seriously not expect me to be angry about that? The Dust Roman and the White Fang are stealing is SDC property! I wouldn’t be a very good heiress if I just let that slip by me without a care!”

Jaune stood up, and leaned against the wall. “Weiss, you aren’t seriously suggesting what I think you are, are you?”

“Oh, so Blake can go out and pick fights, but the moment I try and act like a rational huntress and gather information before I do so suddenly I’m out of line?” Weiss exclaimed, rounding on the boy.

Pyrrha took that moment to voice her opinion. “Weiss makes a good point, Jaune. The police haven’t been able to find anything of the White Fang or Roman Torchwick, and so far only RRYN and ourselves have been able to at least somewhat prevent them from committing the crimes they’re trying so hard to commit. Why shouldn’t we continue to help?”

Jaune gave a nervous chuckle. “Okay, something is seriously wrong if I’m trying to be the voice of reason. You guys really want to do this? It’s going to be really dangerous.”

The three determined expressions that stared back at him answered that question.

Jaune decided that now was the time to bite the bullet.

So, Jaune took in a deep breath. “Well… If we’re putting ourselves in danger, I guess there isn’t much of a worry about you guys knowing about my semblance after all. Let’s go somewhere… a little more open, and a lot more private.”

* * *

  


Jaune was back in what he was beginning to call his clearing, at the edge of the Emerald Forest, just near Beacon’s cliffs.

Accompanying him were the three curious members of his team, all intrigued as to what Jaune’s semblance was.

“Before we start, a couple things. First, I want you guys to keep an open mind. Second, though I might’ve already mentioned this before, but Ozpin pretty much told me to only tell those I trusted implicitly. He may not have actually said that, but that’s pretty much what I’ve decided he’s said, and damn the consequences, you guys deserve to know.”

The three girls stared at Jaune.

“Okay, so… I don’t really know how to explain it without sounding… ridiculous, I guess. It’s, uh…”

“Just get on with it, Arc!” Weiss exclaimed.

“My semblance makes me into a video game character!” Jaune blurted out.

The silence seemed to stretch on for agonizingly long moments.

“...Huh,” Blake said.

Weiss seemed to be lost for words.

“Um…” Pyrrha said aloud, before blinking a few times. “What?”

Jaune sighed. “I did say it was going to sound ridiculous. My semblance makes my life pretty much into a video game. I get quests, I have an inventory, I have a health bar. That sort of thing.”

“Jaune, I’m not exactly… familiar with video games. Neither is Weiss, and I doubt Blake had that much time to play them, so... “ Pyrrha said.

Jaune laughed. In fact, that statement had caught Jaune so off guard that he continued to laugh, the mirth he felt somewhat expounded by the sheer awkwardness of the situation.

“Okay, okay, so no one has played a video game before?” Jaune asked, once he’d recovered.

A muted shake of the head from Weiss was the only response he got from the heiress, and Pyrrha and Blake both shared a glance, before they also shook their heads.

“Oh, gods, this is odd. How do I…” Jaune began, trailing off into thought.

“Perhaps you’d best just show us what you mean, Jaune,” Pyrrha suggested.

Jaune agreed, nodding a thanks to his partner. “Yeah, you’re right. Now, stab me.”

Pyrrha blinked. Blake blinked. Weiss plunged the tip of Myrtenaster into where he was pointing, the softest part of his thigh.

A sharp intake of breath was evidence enough that the blade had gone right through, Jaune not even bothering to bring his Aura up to block the strike.

“ I was hoping there’d be a little bit more resistance to the idea,” he said through gritted teeth, as  _ System Body _ nullified the pain.

“Now, look at the wound, watch closely, it’ll happen almost immediately after Weiss removes her rapier.

The other two, once they’d gotten over the shock of seeing Weiss stab their leader, looked close.

The blade left his thigh, and the wound healed almost instantly, not even leaving a scar.

“Tadah!” Jaune said, giving a small bow. “That’s just one of the skills my semblance gives me access to. That did, however, drain a pretty significant portion of my HP, so please don’t stab me again.”

Jaune stepped back. “This is where I was yesterday, when I was figuring out some stuff. I was just learning new skills, trying them out.”

Pyrrha raised her hand, and Jaune shot her a deadpan look, to which she looked sheepish. “You keep saying skills. That doesn’t mean what we think it does, does it?”

“ My semblance refers to them as skills. They’re like spells of sorts, except some of them don’t cost anything. I can cast spells like  _ Mana Bolt  _ or  _ Mana Impact _ ,  _ Observe _ things to find out information, give myself buffs, and one of my skills is a  _ Sixth Sense _ , which allows me, at the moment at least, to sense danger around me,” Jaune explained.

“Buffs?” Blake asked, curious.

“ My semblance pretty much acts like an RPG. I have stats which improve through extended use or skill points that I get through leveling up, and they directly correlate to my physical and mental prowess. One of my skills, for example, is called  _ System Body _ , which is what makes my body like that of a video game character, where wounds heal near instantly and I don’t tire out easily. That’s mostly dependent on my Endurance stat, which determines my health, stamina and Aura levels,” Jaune began answering. “I can cast a Buff spell to temporarily boost a stat, though it only lasts a minute and at the moment isn’t very powerful. I haven’t had a chance to really use it yet, and the Buff amount is dependent on the level of the skill.”

“ There’s also the  _ Proficiency _ skills that I have, that allow me to fight with my weapons. I’d never really fought with my weapons before my semblance awakened, so I wasn’t very good, but my  _ One-Handed Melee  _ is at level eleven at the moment, so that gives you an idea of what it’s like.”

Pyrrha stared gobsmacked. “You hadn’t learned how to use your weapons until just before Beacon?”

Jaune scratched the back of his head nervously, as he was want to do. “Um, yeah, that about sums it up. My semblance gives me an incredible rate of improvement, that’s for sure.”

“And you can just… do all that,” Weiss said.

“Yeah, kinda. I have to learn the skill first, and that’s usually just a bit of trial and error, but yeah, once I’ve got it I can just use it whenever. Unless it costs something I don’t have, or don’t have enough of. All my attack spells cost Mana, like a magic meter sort of thing, and my Mana regenerates over time.”

It was at that moment that Weiss decided to ask the important question. “So why did the headmaster tell you not to speak about it with anyone?”

Jaune’s hands dropped to his side. “Ozpin said that anyone that knew about it might be in danger from powerful people who want to get their hands on it. It’s a really powerful semblance, so I’m not surprised people would kill to get it.”

Jaune’s dejected expression seemed to garner pity from the girls, so he quickly shook away the lingering thoughts. “I’ve decided that we’re strong enough as a team to stop anyone that tried that, though, so I’m putting my utmost faith in all of you. We’re a team, all of us. If we can’t do it, no one can.”

That at least brought two small smirks and a smile to the faces of the white-haired, black-haired and red-haired girls respectively.

“So, you can just create spells?” Weiss asked. “What about glyphs?”

Jaune blanked. “Uh… I don’t know?”

Weiss’s face hardened into one of determination. “That sounds like something we should try. Right now.”

“Eh-heh. Okay?”

* * *

  


“Again!” Weiss shouted, perfectly embodying the image of a terrifying drill instructor.

Jaune focused Mana into his hands much like Weiss did with her Aura, the girl channelling it through and creating a glyph of spinning white in the air in front of her.

Jaune tried doing the same, but all that happened was a  _ Mana Blast _ , the Mana dispersing once more into the air.

“No, you dunce! Move the Aura through you hand, and make it float in the air!” Weiss exclaimed, exasperated.

Jaune was beginning to become frustrated himself. “It isn’t even Aura, Weiss, it’s Mana! It’s completely different! And besides, it doesn’t float outside my body unless I relinquish my control of it! I can’t just separate it and then form it!”

Pyrrha and Blake were sitting on an upturned log not too far away, neither particularly interested in the same thing they’d been doing for the past ten minutes.

“Argh! Then what do you suggest, Arc?” Weiss asked, hands on her hips.

Jaune felt himself calm down, thanks to  _ System Mind _ . “Can you just… create a basic glyph, and let me look at it?”

Weiss did as he asked, holding her hand in front of her as a simple glyph spun into existence in her palm.

Jaune held his hand out much the same way she was, and decided to try something new. He focused Mana into his palm, but began to shape it, flattening it until it was around the same size and shape of the circular glyph.

“Now, let’s see what this does,” Jaune remarked, as he stared at the circle of flat Mana he held in his palm.

“Arc, that isn’t going to make a glyph,” Weiss said, but Jaune waved her off.

“I know, but it’s a step in the right direction. Let’s see…” With that, Jaune released the flat circle, only to see it hover in place just above his hand.

“Um…”

“Oh, that looks like a small version of my shield!” Pyrrha remarked from behind, attention grabbed by the new thing that was happening.

“Huh, so it does… Pyrrha, you genius!” Jaune jumped, partially from surprise and partially from joy.

“What? I am?” Pyrrha said, shocked, but she soon found out what Jaune meant, as he wound his arm back and threw, aiming towards a tree.

The disc soared through the air, before it bounced off the tree, leaving a shallow gouge, but as it bounced, Jaune, Weiss and Pyrrha tracked it through the air, as it bounced off another tree, another tree, a boulder, another tree, and finally back towards them.

The two girls cowered slightly, but Jaune simply outstretched his hand, instinct kicking in, and it landed back in his palm, none the worse for wear.

“Huh,” Jaune said.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Disc (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now conjure a semi-permanent disc of Mana that can be thrown like a frisbee. It will bounce off most objects, and try its hardest to end up back in your hand. The more LCK you have, the more likely it is to end up back in your hand. Will stop bouncing after enough bounces. Costs 75 MP to cast.  _ _** Level 1; XP 1/12. ** _ ** ] **

“ _ Mana Disc _ , huh. That’s pretty neat, actually,” Jaune remarked, as the two girls standing next to him stared at him.

His eyes refocused. “Oh, yeah, my semblance gives me these notification windows. Like glowing two-dimensional boxes only I can see. I was just reading the skill.

Pyrrha looked a little stunned, and Weiss just shook her head.

“So, what is a glyph, exactly?” Jaune asked, focusing his attention on his white-haired teammate.

Weiss pondered that question for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what to say.

“A glyph is… hmm. That’s actually a rather difficult question. I don’t think I can really quantify it in the terms of your semblance, Jaune. Maybe… The best way I could put it is one of your spells, if it was activated remotely. I prepare it, and cast it, much the way you do with your spells, except mine has all sorts of effects stemming from my semblance and the Dust I happen to have on hand, should I need it.”

Weiss’s explanation wasn’t exactly crystal clear, but it was all Jaune needed to hear.

“Remote activation, huh? That gives me an idea…” Jaune said, trailing off.

In his hand he cast  _ Mana Flash _ , and in the other he formed a disc much like  _ Mana Disc _ , though he combined the two, bringing his hands together.

He knelt down, and placed his hands against the floor.

A moment passed, and a brief flash of Mana coloured energy escaped the cracks in his hands, and when he lifted them, he was greeted with a small white etching in the ground, glistening ever so slightly.

“Ah-ha!” Jaune cheered, stepping back. “Now, who wants to test it?”

Jaune turned to see who would be his test subject, only to find all three girls hiding not-so-subtly behind the upturned log.

Jaune gave a heavy sigh. “Well, if that’s how it is. Close your eyes and ears, ladies, this might be really loud.”

Blake immediately did so, hands covering her human ears as her bow seemed to completely fold over. Weiss and Pyrrha did the same, covering their ears as well.

Jaune turned back to face what was slowly becoming his nemesis, and he stepped forwards.

At least Jaune was prepared for what a  _ Mana Flash  _ would be like this time around, and as his foot touched the sigil, even with his eyes shut tight and his ears clamped down, the white light that purveyed underneath his eyelids and the noise that wound its way through into his very skull was still unwelcome, and painful.

Luckily, thanks to  _ System Body _ , it didn’t last very long, but it was till a second time in a couple days, and Jaune was rather unhappy about it.

But, every cloud has a silver lining, even if it did feel as if he was struck by lightning for this one.

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Spell Sigil (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now form a remote triggered spell of any kind into a sigil, which can be placed on any surface, as long as the surface is big enough to house the sigil. The sigil, when activated, by whatever the trigger mechanism is, will cast the prepared spell. Costs 150% of target spell chosen.  _ _** Level MAX. ** _ ** ] **

Another max level skill, too. That was good. It meant he could use it no matter what, he didn’t have to level it up in conjunction with the spell to make it more effective.

Not that Jaune had dedicated all that much time to leveling skills, something he was beginning to regret more and more the more he thought about it.

And his stats, too…

Jaune blinked away the remaining light that remained in his eyes, the afterimage disappearing as his hearing returned to normal.

He turned to the rest of his team, a smile on his face, only to get smacked over the head.

“You dunce! That was way too loud! And too bright!” Weiss exclaimed, as Pyrrha supported a slightly dazed Blake, the two approaching slower.

“Sorry! At least I warned you. The first time I tried it was a lot more surprising,” Jaune said, as Pyrrha stifled a giggle.

“Wait, you tried that on yourself?” Weiss asked, surprise on her face.

“Well, yeah. If I don’t, how do I know what it does?” Jaune answered with a question of his own.

Weiss couldn’t really come up with an answer to that.

“ It’s originally like a flashbang grenade, but this  _ Spell Sigil _ skill seemed to turn it into a flashbang landmine of sorts. It set off when I stepped on it, but I get the feeling it can do more than just trip from being stepped on,” Jaune continued.

“Like a timed detonation?” Pyrrha asked, and Jaune nodded.

“Yeah, or a remote trigger. A tripwire might take some clever fiddling, but I imagine it wouldn’t be all that hard to set up. The only problem I can see with it is how obvious it is. The glow fades after a few seconds, but it’s still a white etching into the surface. It’s easy to notice,” Jaune said, thinking aloud.

“If you placed it on the ceiling, if there was one, you could set it off without it being noticeable. Same with walls, for that matter. I imagine a flashbang like that would be more effective in a more enclosed space, anyway. The sound would reverberate much more, and the light would be more pronounced,” Pyrrha said, thinking along much the same lines as Jaune.

Blake, now recovered, leaned over to her own partner. “It might be in our best interest to distract the two, or they might never stop coming up with strategies they may never use.”

Weiss hummed in agreement, as the other pair of AWBN members continued to consider the validity of remote detonated flashbangs.

“Jaune, you mentioned experimenting. Where do you get all these ideas from?” Weiss asked, Blake also leaning in, curiosity on her face.

“ Well, it’s mostly just me randomly trying different things with my Mana. When I finished off that Ursa, I used  _ Mana Impact _ , which I discovered by focusing Mana into my legs while I was in the air.  _ Mana Slash _ , when I use my sword as a focus, was created in the heat of the moment when I was in the Beacon acceptance exam,” Jaune explained. “I’ve gotten a few other skills from quest rewards, and skill books too.”

Weiss’s face was that of sheer, blank lack of understanding.

“Oh, yeah, right. We should really sit down and play some video games, all of us. That might help me too, actually. Anyway, there are a few that I’ve used a few times now, and a couple I haven’t even tried to use yet,” Jaune continued, willing the skills list to appear before him.

He scrolled down with one hand, which confused his team, but he ignored it. Sooner or later they’d get used to it.

“ Yeah, here we go.  _ Summoning _ . I haven’t tried it yet, so I don’t know what it is, or what it entails.”

“Summoning!?” Weiss exclaimed, eyes wide.

Jaune took a step back, hands in the air. “Yes?”

“Hmph. You can’t create glyphs, as far as we know, but you can summon. That seems grossly unfair,” Weiss said, partially to herself. “The Schnee semblance, one of its most powerful capabilities is that it allows us to summon defeated enemies.”

Jaune nodded, following along. “Do you think I’ll need to defeat things in order to summon them?”

Weiss threw up her hands in exasperation. “Arc, I barely understand your semblance this far, so I wouldn’t say I have any idea on what would and wouldn’t work. Trial and error seems to have been your ally thus far, why stop now?”

Jaune agreed. “True. Let me bring up the skill description, see if I can glean anything from it.”

** [ ** _** Summoning Ritual (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can conduct a ritual that can allow you to summon something. What is summoned by the ritual is dependent on materials used. _ ** ] **

Jaune read it aloud, frowning slightly. “That doesn’t give me all that much to work with, to be honest. Most of my skills have been a little more… detailed.”

Weiss put a finger to her chin in thought, and Pyrrha mirrored the expression. Blake seemed to delve into a book she’d procured from gods knew where.

Inspiration struck Jaune like a bolt of lightning on a stormy day, and he quickly opened a new window, accessing his inventory.

His hand reached in, and to the three spectators it looked as if Jaune withdrew a chunk of bronze metal from nothing, a slight ripple in the air the only trace of something abnormal going on.

The  _ Stymphalian Bronze Beak _ he’d collected from the Stymphalian now in his hand, he bent over, focusing Mana into his index finger as he began tracing a pattern he did not know, and yet subconsciously did.

Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha watched on in abject curiosity as Jaune sketched a small circle, before another concentric circle was etched into the ground. The pattern continued, becoming more and more complicated as more and more shapes were added, until not even Jaune could tell where it started and where it ended.

Once the pattern was complete, Jaune placed the item in the center, before stepping back. “Um, I don’t know what this is going to do, so we might want to step back.”

The others did so quite quickly, returning to the cover of the upturned tree.

He knelt, as he instinctively knew to do, and closed his eyes. For all intents and purposes, he was performing a ritual.

Blake, Weiss and Pyrrha watched in amazement as the etching began to glow, and so to did Jaune, both brightening further and further as magical energies began to swirl around, lifting the  _ Stymphalian Bronze Beak _ from the ground, the etching now an object, floating, spinning and simply existing amongst multiple dimensions all at once.

It ended as suddenly as it began, though this time it was with a bright flash of light.

Jaune, Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha opened their eyes, and stared at what had been summoned.

Where the beak had once been was now a small bird, heron like in appearance. Bone plating covered partially covered it, and it’s beak and feathers were of a bronze like material.

An incredibly small Stymphalian stood where the beak had once been, though it had some apparent differences besides size.

The bronze beak and feathers were tipped with a much more golden colour, and the eyes were a bright blue, and Jaune could see the Arc family insignia almost carved into the bone plating on the forehead of the bird.

Jaune stepped forward, tentatively holding his arm out, and the small Stymphalian stretched its wings, a flight-assisted leap landing the bird on arm, settling comfortably.

** [Summoning Ritual was a Success!] **

** [You have summoned a Stymphalian Soul!] **

** [Skill Created!] **

** [ ** _** Bound Soul (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can now summon a Bound Soul that you have summoned with the Summoning Ritual. It can be summoned and dismissed at will. _ _** Level MAX ** _ **.] **

Jaune eyed the bird that shuffled up his arm, resting on his shoulder, using  _ Observe  _ on it.

** [Stymphalian Soul, Minor] **

** [Bound Soul, Grimm] **

Jaune was a little confused by the bird, but as he reached his other hand out the bird craned its neck to meet his palm, the teen giving the bird a gentle rub under the head.

It chirped happily at the contact.

“Huh,” Jaune remarked. There wasn’t much else to say that he could realistically think of.

It appeared the three girls agreed with his sentiments.

* * *

  


“So… What do I name it?” Jaune asked, as the bird wrapped itself around his shoulders, somehow a familiar, comforting weight.

None of them knew how to answer, until Pyrrha decided to speak.

“What about… Alcmena?” She offered, and Jaune raised an eyebrow at her.

“It’s an ancient Mistralian name, and seeing as the Stymphalian is a Grimm natively found in Mistral…”

Jaune smiled at his partner. “Alcmena… it fits. A female name, right?”

Pyrrha nodded.

“Well, seeing as Grimm don’t have genders, I guess we’ll just have to call her by her name’s default, won’t we?”

Alcmena chirped happily once more.

“Now, Alcmena, what can you do?”

The response was another chirp from the bird, and a series of notifications appearing in his periphery.

** [You’ve earned a new Title!] **

** [Soul Tamer Initiate:  ** _ As a Soul Tamer Initiate, all Bound Souls are more effective.  _ _** Next Rank: Soul Tamer Novice (Souls Bound 1/2) ** _ ** ] **

** [You’ve unlocked a new Perk!] **

** [Sixth Labour:  ** _ Your connection with the soul of a Stymphalian gives your melee attacks a chance to inflict the status effect Poisoned on attacks. _ ** ] **

** [You’ve unlocked new Skills!] **

** [ ** _** Bound Senses (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks the the System, whenever your Bound Soul is summoned, your senses link with theirs, allowing you to mentally ‘see’ your Bound Soul, track their location, and understand them.  _ _** Level MAX. ** _ ** ] **

** [ ** _** Soul Scout (Passive):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, your Bound Soul can track and locate targets, giving you a sense of the target location as long as your Bound Soul is still aware of the target's position.  _ _** Level MAX. ** _ ** ] **

“Woah, that’s pretty useful. I feel like we’re going to get along swimmingly, Alcmena,” Jaune said, giving the bird a gentle rub underneath the head.

The bird, at Jaune’s command, took off, large wings, or at least large to relative scale, flapping as it took off, steadily gaining altitude.

“You tamed a Grimm.”

Jaune looked at Blake, who was still somewhat shocked.

“I guess?” He offered. “I wouldn’t exactly say tamed, but… yeah, I guess tamed works.”

“I honestly don’t know where to begin,” Blake said, shaking her head, a rueful smile on her face.

“Yes, yes, team bonding, hooray, can we please focus on the fact that Jaune’s Grimm is just orbiting around us?” Weiss exclaimed.

Jaune held a hand up, gesturing for the heiress to calm down. “Relax, Weiss. Alcmena is completely tame, and she is too small to be a combat threat to any of us anyway. She’s scanning around for hostiles, at the moment. Nothing yet, in case you were curious.”

“How can you tell?” The underlying worry in Weiss’s voice made Jaune take the question seriously.

His arm stretched out, and Weiss watched as Alcmena soared down from the sky, slowing and landing on his arm once more. “One of the Skills I was given,  _ Bound Senses _ , allows me to understand Alcmena’s mind. I understand her emotions, her thoughts, no matter how simple. Besides, she may have the appearance of a Grimm, but I don’t think that’s what she is. It’s… hard to explain.”

With another stroke under the chin, Alcmena took off, although as the spectators watched, the bird began to simply disintegrate, splitting apart into a black mist.

“What just…” Pyrrha asked.

“Don’t worry, I just dismissed her. I can summon and de-summon at will,” Jaune answered. “Come on, we should head back. It’s getting late.”

Mid-afternoon wasn’t all that late in the grand scheme of things, but Jaune knew two things.

First, he’d just dumped a lot of information on his team, and they needed some time to dwell on it.

Secondly, he was really hungry.

* * *

  


Jaune could feel the terror flooding through his body, coming in waves as he trembled, hands shaking as the cool evening air breezed over him.

In his hand, his new scroll sat, contacts open, his finger hovering above the screen.

‘ _ All you’re doing is calling your family, Jaune. You aren’t declaring war on a foreign kingdom, you’re just speaking with your parents,’  _ He thought, finger inching closer and closer to the screen.

He bit the bullet, pressing the button.

One ring, two rings, three rings…

“Hello? Who is this?”

The fourth ended mid-ring, the voice of Juniper Arc answering.

Jaune’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

“Hello? Hello?”

“Hey, mom,” Jaune began.

“Jaune, darling, you are in so much trouble.”

* * *

  


  
  
  



	16. Familial Mercy

* * *

  


“So, it’s the start of the semester break tomorrow… do you guys have anything planned?” Jaune asked his team from his seat on his bed.

“I don’t exactly have anywhere to go,” Blake said from within her book, head buried deep into the text.

“I don’t have any definitive plans, Jaune,” Pyrrha said, from where she was sharpening Milo.

“I’d rather not go back to Atlas for two weeks, especially after the past few days,” Weiss said, going over her notes.

“Well, that’s good, because I… might’ve-kind-of-told-my-parents-you-would-come-with-me-to-see-them?” Jaune spat out.

Three deadpan stares met Jaune’s nervous gaze.

“Say that again, but slowly, Arc,” Weiss ordered.

“I haven’t spoken to my parents since I left for Beacon, and they weren’t exactly happy about that. I told them I’d be coming home for the break, and I said I might bring you guys along if you weren’t busy. And, because you aren’t busy, I’m requesting that you act as motivational support for me when my parents find out I went to Beacon instead of a random non-Hunter academy,” Jaune explained.

“ You… let me get this straight. You told your parents that you were going to a school that  _ wasn’t _ a Hunter Academy?” Blake asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Even I couldn’t advocate that kind of decision, Jaune,” Pyrrha said.

“There’s a reason why I’m not the voice of reason normally!” Jaune exclaimed.

“But lying to your parents? Surely you didn’t think you could get away with it?” Pyrrha asked, shocked.

“I mean, I didn’t exactly expect them to never notice, but I had to try. They don’t have a choice but to accept my decision now, regardless of how much they may or may not disapprove, and I’m certain they’ll be happy that I met all of you, even if I had to betray their trust to do so. They’re very protective, so... “ Jaune explained, trailing off at the expressions on his team’s faces.

“Oh, don’t be like that. Pyrrha’s probably got the most normal family situation out of all of us!” Jaune exclaimed, both hands gesturing towards the girl.

All the heads in the room turned to Pyrrha. “Well, he isn’t wrong…”

“So, don’t be all angry with me! I at least called my parents, and I’m willing to face the consequences. Yeah, I’d prefer if my team was with me to back me up, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you were busy. I’d still go,” Jaune said, taking his scroll out of his pocket.

“I can book airship tickets, so if you want to come, just let me know,” Jaune said, and with that, he booked himself a ticket back home.

“I’d be happy to come meet your family, Jaune,” Pyrrha said, a beaming smile on her face.

“I don’t have anything better to do,” Blake said, her noncommittal response the closest thing Jaune was going to get to a ‘yes’.

Jaune looked to Weiss.

“Ugh. I don’t particularly want to be left behind. It might mean I’d have to spend time with RRYN. I suppose I will accompany the rest of you,” Weiss said with a huff, folding her arms. “But that doesn’t mean we will be slacking off! The break is a perfect opportunity to train and grow our skills as Hunters.”

Jaune nodded in muted agreement, booking the fourth and final ticket on the airship.

“Tomorrow, ten in the morning. That’s the departure time. You might want to pack tonight, or tomorrow morning, whenever. I’m going to take Weiss’s advice, and head to the training gym. I’ll catch you guys later,” Jaune said, ducking out of the room.

The chorus of varying degrees of farewell followed him down the hallway as he placed one foot in front of the other, making his way to the gym.

It wasn’t that far a walk, nothing at Beacon ever really was, and when he arrived, he could tell he wouldn’t be alone for the training period.

The door opened with a pneumatic hiss, sliding to allow him entry, and Jaune saw Yang look to the side from her place at the punching bags to the far left of the room.

She waved hello before resuming her sweaty workout, fists pounding a staccato rhythm into the bag.

He waved back, unwilling to do any more to disturb the brawler, and he dropped some of the gear he’d been carrying on a seat next to a treadmill, stepping up onto it and turning it on.

The conveyor belt underneath him began to speed up, and Jaune stepped onto it, walking in time to the belt.

It began to speed up, and Jaune did the same, keeping pace as the speed ramped up further and further.

The sound of his thumping footfalls accompanied the steady pounding of Yang, and the two blond-haired teens kept at it.

Jaune could feel  _ Sprint _ trigger when the treadmill reached a certain threshold of speed, and his feet pounded the material of the treadmill one after another, loud enough and fast enough to draw Yang’s attention.

The blonde leaned back from the punching bag, grabbing a small towel and dabbing the sweat off her forehead as she watched the leader of AWBN steadily increase his pace to a point where he’d give any first year a modest competition, aside from Ruby, naturally.

According to the speedometer on the control panel of the treadmill, Jaune was maintaining an easy speed of twenty-seven kilometers an hour, something that Yang was impressed with. The boy may have looked lanky, but he was surprisingly well built.

The treadmill began to wind down, slowing as Jaune continued to match its pace, slowing at the same rate.

After a time, Jaune stepped off, grabbing his own small towel and doing much the same as Yang, wiping his face clean of the sweat that dripped off his face.

“Woah, that’s got me wiped for a minute or two. Hey Yang, you just finishing up?” Jaune barely managed to force the words out through pants, as he felt his SP rise, slowly but steadily.

Yang shook her head. “Nah, I’m just taking a quick break. I gotta say, you got some speed to ya, Jauney.”

Jaune gave a laugh, his stamina almost completely recovered. “Yeah, maybe. I figured I’d get some training in before I head back home for the break, though. I’m guessing you and Ruby are headed home for the holiday?”

Yang gave a nod as she finished half the bottle of water she’d brought along. “Yeah, Ruby decided that all of RRYN would be coming back to Patch for the week or two. Ren and Nora don’t really have anywhere else to go, and Dad’s looking forward to meeting the two.”

“My condolences for whatever Nora does,” Jaune said with a chuckle, and Yang laughed.

“Dad dealt with myself and Ruby learning our semblances. If he can’t handle Nora, not even Ren could.”

“True,” Jaune agreed. “How does he do it, I wonder?”

Yang stepped back over to the punching bags. “Apparently, pancakes. Lots and lots of pancakes. Also, between you and me, I’m pretty sure Nora is crushing hard on Ren.”

Jaune nodded in agreement. “I can see that. It’d certainly make sense.”

Yang’s fist met the bag with a resounding thud, but there was no follow-up punch. “Hey, Jaune… wanna spot for me?”

Jaune raised an eyebrow. “I like my arms where they are, thanks.”

Yang rolled her eyes. “I’m won’t go hard on you, you baby.”

“Alright then. If you insist.” Jaune stepped into the small ring in the corner of the gym, grabbing some mitts and slipping them over his hands.

Yang stepped inside, facing him, her bare fists wrapped in bandages.

“Old habits?” Jaune asked, gesturing to the girl’s hands.

Yang flexed her fingers. “Something like that. You know the calls?”

Jaune nodded. “One of my sisters fought hand-to-hand, and I trained with her a couple times when I was younger. I can probably remember them.”

Yang nodded, raising her clenched fists in a loose guard. “Whenever you’re ready, Jauney.”

Jaune called the first call, and a jab smacked into the mitt on his hand, driving his arm back as he felt the impact.

Another call, and a jab impacted, followed by a cross.

This continued for a while, and soon both Yang and Jaune were sweaty once more, arms aching.

The final combination of blows, a jab-cross-jab-uppercut, came and went, and Jaune took off the mitts, as Yang unwrapped her hands.

“You’re pretty good as a training partner. Nora’d get distracted, and Ruby and Ren wouldn’t be able to take my punches. We should do this again sometime,” Yang said, as she stepped out of the ring, grabbing her bottle of water and draining the rest down her throat.

Jaune nodded with a weak smile on his face, chugging the full bottle he’d been yet to touch up to that point. “Only if we can swap.”

Yang raised an eyebrow at that. “I thought you fought with a sword and shield?”

“No harm in learning how to fight without them,” Jaune replied, dabbing at his forehead with the slowly but steadily dampening towel.

“True. Now if only you could convince Ruby of that,” Yang remarked, and Jaune gave a laugh.

“Separate Ruby from Crescent Rose? That sounds painful for all involved.”

Yang nodded in mirthful agreement. “Well, Jauney, just hit me up if you wanna train. I could always use a good punching bag.”

Jaune smirked at that. “Careful, Yang. One of these days we might be matched up in combat class. Who knows who’ll win a fight like that?”

Yang placed one hand on her hip. “Pfft. If you beat me in combat class, I’ll… I’ll be your slave for a week.”

Jaune’s smirk turned devious. “Oh? That sounds like a bet, Yang. You aren’t going to like the odds…”

Yang laughed. “If you lose, though, you’re my slave for a week. Like those odds?”

Jaune held out a hand, and Yang took it in a firm grasp, the two shaking to signify the agreement.

“No going back now, Jauney.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

* * *

  


Once Yang had left Jaune in the relative privacy of the boy’s locker room, Jaune checked the notifications he’d dismissed once they’d finished training.

** [Ding!] **

** [Thanks to extensive training, you’ve gained +2 END, +1 STR and +1 AGI!] **

** [For exceeding 25 END, you’ve been awarded a perk!] **

** [ ** _** Resilience:  ** _ _ Thanks to your Endurance, you have gained a small amount of complete damage resistance, meaning you can take more hits, and are more physically resistant to damage and physical status effects. _ ** ] **

Well, Jaune was happy with that. He didn’t know why he hadn’t taken better advantage of the training facilities Beacon offered, though that might’ve just been because he was almost always under the never-ending assail of homework.

Beacon was supposed to teach students how to be Hunters, not teach them history, but apparently Doctor Oobleck disagreed with that statement vehemently. In fact, when Cardin had said something along those lines the hyperactive man had made the teen do six weeks of essays.

Jaune had wisely not voiced his opinion, something the majority of his cohort had done as well.

Half the time Jaune felt pity for the poor boy, but then his mind wandered back to the incident in the Forever Fall, and that pity vanished like water in a desert.

Jaune pulled his hoodie over his head, settling it and pushing his hair out of his face, stepping out of the locker room.

Crocea Mors was settled in its place in his locker, and Jaune was relaxed. More relaxed than he had been in a few days, at least.

His life had a way of getting really, really crazy in the span of a few seconds.

Speaking of really crazy, he still had one notification he hadn’t looked at yet.

** [Quest Created!] **

** [ ** _** Combat Class: Yang Xiao Long ** _ ** ] **

** [Defeat Yang Xiao Long in Combat Class, and win the bet you made with her.] **

** [Reward: 5000 XP, Skill Book] **

So, he’d get a skill book and five thousand XP, along with Yang as a slave for a week. That was far too much power for a hormonal teen like Jaune, even if there was no way he’d actually take advantage of a friend. Or anyone, for that matter.

Of course, the fact that he wouldn’t do anything like that didn’t stop his mind from conjuring images unbidden. Images that he really had mixed feelings towards.

He shook his head to clear his mind and focus on the present, which was his path to the cafeteria, planning on finding some kind of food to feast on. He’d worked up an appetite, and he had to say that food was definitely much more wanted than Yang at his feet, workin-

No, focus. Clear mind, clean thoughts. No power-trips, nothing like that.

‘ _ Stop it, Jaune. Focus, maintain, clear. Clear mind, clear thoughts, clear conscience,’ _ the boy thought, as he stepped through the door to the bustling noise of the cafeteria in full swing, the line for lunch thankfully not that long. It appeared some students had already headed out to gods-knew-where, taking advantage of their day off to get away from the school.

Jaune was thankful for the noise, it distracted him from his thoughts, and he would welcome any more distractions, unless they were in the form of Yang doing whatever suggestive thing she could in order to throw off his mental stability.

“Hey, Jaune!” Ruby called out from her seat at their usual spot.

“Oh thank the gods!” Jaune exclaimed, before realising he’d just vocalised that thought.

“What’s wrong?” Ruby asked, confused, as the teen approached her.

“No, nothing, nevermind,” Jaune quickly tried to cover up his mistake with pure charisma.

“Are you sure? You sounded a little freaked out,” Ruby asked.

Jaune didn’t have pure charisma, if his CHA stat was anything to go off of.

“Yeah, it’s nothing, don’t worry. I was just thinking about some stuff, nothing important.

He definitely couldn’t tell Ruby where his mind had unwittingly led him. This conversation was already awkward enough.

“Oh, okay. How are you?” Ruby asked, patting the seat next to her.

Jaune placed himself into the seat with slightly more force than he’d intended, but he wasn’t too worried. “I’m good. I’ve just been doing some training, that’s all.”

“Did you speak with Pyrrha and Weiss about the Torchwick situation?” Ruby asked, a small frown gracing her face.

“We… might’ve had a conversation or two,” Jaune replied. “We’re going to wait a bit, probably until after the break, but we still have to gather information on him. We can’t just charge in without a plan, and we can’t have a plan without knowing anything about our enemy.”

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, I understand. Are you and AWBN doing anything over the break?”

“Yeah. We’re going back to my home. I’ve got to speak with my parents, and the rest of the team didn’t have any plans, so I invited them,” Jaune answered.

“Well, I’ll keep an ear out to Vale’s news, see if I can hear anything that might help,” Ruby said, giving Jaune a smile.

Jaune returned it, before standing. “I’m just gonna grab some food, I’ll be right back.”

“ _Would Mr Arc please report to the Headmaster’s office? I repeat, Mr Arc to the Headmaster’s office.”_

Jaune frowned as he reached the midpoint of the cafeteria, the announcement blaring over the intercom.

“Have fun, Jaune!” Ruby said with a wave and a cheeky grin.

“ Damnit, Ruby.” Jaune said under his breath, no real maliciousness in his voice. He gave the crimson cloaked girl a wave, and quickly set about heading to Ozpin’s office, reaching into his inventory and withdrawing what little food he had there, munching away on a bag of  _ Tater Chips _ .

* * *

  


Exiting the elevator, Jaune nodded a greeting to Professor Goodwitch, who nodded in return.

Jaune stepped through the door into the Headmaster’s office, and watched as the door closed itself behind him.

“Professor Ozpin. Is something wrong?” Jaune asked of the man who sat in front of him, mug conspicuously absent.

“Not quite, Mr Arc. I was just checking some footage over the past day or so… You decided to speak to your team about your semblance?”

The man gestured for Jaune to take a chair even as he spoke, and so Jaune did so, sitting down in the comfortable leather seat.

“Yes sir. I figured that we’d already made ourselves some pretty big targets, so it didn’t really matter whether or not they knew. Besides, I trust my time implicitly.”

Ozpin gave a slight nod at Jaune’s explanation. “Well, I must say I’m glad you trust your team that much. However, I’m certain I don’t have to explain what could go wrong. You don’t strike me as the kind of person to make a decision based on pure spontaneity.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jaune said, unable to think of anything else to say.

“I must advise you to be careful, though. Your team is certainly comprised of some of this year’s strongest first years, but that does not mean you are untouchable. Do not get cocky, Mr Arc. Your team is counting on you.”

Jaune just nodded, words not coming to his mind.

“However, I did not ask you here today to simply discuss this with you. I wish to speak to you about Roman Torchwick.”

Jaune sat up slightly more, back straight.

“Roman is not a fool. He is no moron, nor is he an idiot. If you used your semblance on him, we may be in a situation.”

Jaune shook his head. “No, sir. I only used one spell in our fight. It looks identical to just forcefully blasting Aura out of my hand.”

“An advanced Aura technique in everything but actuality. I’m glad to see you had the foresight not to advertise your capabilities, Mr Arc. However, according to the testimony of a Mr Wukong, that was not the only thing you did.”

Jaune racked his brain, playing the memory of the night back in his mind.

“ I… I used  _ Mana Bolt _ , right when he became glass. That girl’s semblance, she helped him get away. I don’t know if he saw it or not,” Jaune said, after a time.

“Hmm. I suppose we don’t have any other way of confirming or denying whether or not Roman is aware that you have more than one ability, though there is a chance he may believe it to be another advanced Aura technique.”

The man stood from his seat, turning to face the massive window that had since been repaired since Jaune’s last time in the office.

“I know I cannot stop team’s AWBN and RRYN from going after Torchwick. I am no fool, I do know that you plan on going after him regardless of the faculty’s opinion. I must ask, however, that you be as responsible as you can in your pursuit. You and Ms Rose are uniquely skilled at leading teams, and your teams are comprised of the most powerful first years. Take care of each other, yourselves, and uphold the Beacon reputation, Mr Arc. Dismissed.”

Jaune stood from his chair, a small nod being the only farewell he could muster, not that the headmaster noticed, and walked out, stepping into the elevator with a flurry of confused emotions flitting around his mind, with no signs of stopping.

Why was his life so confusing?

* * *

  


“You didn’t even get good seats, Jaune!”

Jaune had spent many a day travelling with his sisters, and at least one of them had some kind of complaint. ‘You’re taking up to much space, Jaune!’, ‘You’re in the way, Jaune!’, ‘Why didn’t you get me an treat, Jaune?!’.

So when Weiss began complaining, Jaune did exactly what he did with his sisters.

He tuned her out with such practised ease that it seemed as if the boy had become a statue, not reacting to any and all external stimuli.

Pyrrha and Blake were sat opposite Weiss and Jaune, having decided that no one wanted to sit next to Weiss and listen to her complain for gods-knew-how-long the flight was going to be.

Blake was halfway through a book already, and Pyrrha was simply content to stare out the window at the Valean countryside, something the girl had been yet to experience in her lifetime.

“Are you even listening to me?” Weiss exclaimed.

Jaune didn’t respond, simply pulling his scroll out of his pocket and browsing through some articles concerning ideas he might be able to apply to his semblance.

Weiss huffed and promptly gave up, settling into her chair and pulling out a textbook, eyes studiously scanning page after page.

The distance between Domremy and Vale proper wasn’t that far, and this wasn’t the first time Jaune had ridden aboard the airship along this flightpath, but life had a way of making a second trip seem much shorter than the first, though Jaune didn’t know how.

The jolting of the touchdown shook Jaune from his scroll, and he stood with practised ease, giving his stiff muscles a stretch as he took in a deep breath, the cleaner, cooler country air like a luxury for his lungs.

Pyrrha stood and joined him in taking a deep breath, whilst Blake and Weiss set about putting away their books.

Jaune led them through the airship and down the exit ramp, into Domremy’s airfield.

One foot after another, the team made their way across the dirt patch that served as the entirety of the airfield, heading for the tiny building that would serve as the luggage area, the name of which was currently escaping Jaune’s mind. He didn’t fly all that often, so it was fair to say he wasn’t all that familiar with airports, airfields, and all the various terms that accompanied them.

Once his team had retrieved their luggage, and once Blake and Weiss had dumped it on him to somehow carry, they made their way towards the town, once again stepping one foot in front of the other in what was three people walking normally and Jaune somewhat crab-walking as he tried to balance Blake’s single suitcase, and Weiss’s thirty thousand suitcases.

Pyrrha had been smart, she’d brought the bare essentials, a single carry case full of what she needed. Blake had been much the same, though hers also featured many books.

Weiss had decided that her entire wardrobe was too small in variety, and brought a third of what she owned. Well, owned and stored at Beacon.

Despite the fact she seemed to only wear two outfits, and one of which was her Beacon uniform.

Jaune very wisely decided against bringing that up to her, as he knew he liked his head where it sat, and not a hundred feet away, rolling ever so slightly.

“So, Jaune, where are we going? Shouldn’t you be in the lead?” Pyrrha asked, looking to her struggling team leader.

“Is there anyone around us?” Jaune asked, voice muffled by luggage.

“No,” Blake responded, and Jaune gave a sigh of relief, cramming all the luggage into his inventory, as fast as he could.

Now that Jaune was without burden, he sprung into action, taking point as he lead the rest of AWBN down into the town.

“Morning, Wreaker!” Jaune called as he stepped past, the man who Jaune had greeted giving Jaune a cheerful wave from his perch up on the balcony of the townhouse.

“Who was that, Jaune?” Weiss asked, sparing the man a glance.

“That’s Wreaker, the mayor. Great guy, always does stuff for the town. Ever since we were kids he would organise big events for all of the town, like fairs and picnics, and that sort of thing. He knows how to keep the town happy.”

Weiss and Pyrrha nodded in appreciation, though Jaune noted Blake giving him a second glance.

“He also has no problems with Faunus, and has exiled a number of racists from the town. So you should feel comfortable here, Blake. Towns out on the border are far too concerned with Grimm and bandits to care about Faunus citizens.”

Blake didn’t respond, but she stopped flicking her eyes about the citizens. They too were gazing at her, but that was more out of pure curiosity than anything else. She was still wearing her bow, too, so it wasn’t as if anyone could tell.

Though, now that Jaune thought about it, it really wasn’t a very good disguise. He was honestly impressed that he was so dense that he didn’t even suspect it. He could see it twitching for gods sake!

“Jaune Arc, you seem awfully chipper for someone who’s about to be the star attraction for an upcoming execution!”

Jaune paled faster than a thing that paled fast. Sue him, he wasn’t in the mood for accurate metaphors.

“Uh, hey Daisy,” Jaune greeted.

Blake, Weiss and Pyrrha stared in surprise as what could only be described as the female version of their leader berated their actual leader, stepping close to him, fuming.

“‘Hey Daisy’? That’s what you’re going to say, after all these months? You disappeared, you asshole!” Daisy shrieked.

“Woah, alright Daisy, I get it, I get it! I do! Can we shout at me when we’re home, please?” Jaune raised his hands in surrender, looking around in a mild panic.

“Hmmph. Fine. But first, who are they?” Daisy asked, jerking her thumb at the other three teens that stood there, somewhat awkwardly.

“These are my friends. Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, and Pyrrha Nikos,” Jaune said. “Guys, this is Daisy, my twin sister.”

“Sorry about all the shouting. He deserves it, but you don’t. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you!” Daisy said, her mood flipping like a lightswitch.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Daisy,” Weiss greeted, formal training rearing its head.

“I’m pleased to meet you also, Daisy,” Pyrrha said less than a second after Weiss introduced herself, the two well-known girls proving that they were experienced in the realm of greeting people.

Blake was… less so, but still so much better than Jaune ever was. “Nice to meet you.”

Daisy’s beaming smile was infectious, and Jaune found himself smiling at the sight of his sister, despite how angry he knew she was with him.

“Well, Daisy, let’s get this shouting match on the road, huh? Lead the way,” Jaune said, and Daisy turned a frown at him.

“You might’ve filled out a heap, Jaune, but you’re still younger than me. Don’t you think for a second you can boss me around!” Daisy exclaimed.

“Younger by three minutes, Daisy!” Jaune replied with some heat. “You can’t lord that over me my entire life!”

“Of course I can, Jaune! I’m older!” Daisy said, with the indisputable logic of the older sibling. Something Jaune was intimately familiar with.

“Fine, whatever. Can we just head home, Daisy?” Jaune forced out, inhaling and exhaling deeply in order to maintain at least some kind of level-headedness.

“Yeah, alright. Come on Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha! The family can’t wait to meet you!”

Daisy took off at a brisk pace, something that the three girls of AWBN were quite able to keep up with, but Jaune felt himself fall behind.

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” He said to himself, immensely worried.

If Daisy’s reaction was anything to go off of, Jaune was in serious, serious trouble.

* * *

  


The Arc household was big. It wasn’t big compared to what Pyrrha, Weiss or Blake were used to, but for Jaune, it was the biggest house he’d ever seen. It dwarfed even some of the houses in Vale, but that was more because there wasn’t all that much open land in Vale.

So, it didn’t dwarf much on a technical level, except for the majority of the buildings in Domremy.

It had to be that big, though, considering it housed ten people on a good day, and more than that if any friends, family or other people were staying over.

It meant that there were plenty of bedrooms, a kitchen that wouldn’t be amiss in a professional restaurant, and a very, very large dining room.

One that Jaune had fond memories of, though those memories were doing nothing to calm him down even slightly.

Each seat was taken, and Jaune’s family had discreetly ushered his team to the guest rooms, and summarily, and politely, told to get set up as they needed.

And they escorted Jaune down to the dining room, took their seats, and began formulating what they wanted to say.

Not once had they spoken about anything he’d done. They’d greeted him, hugged him, the only person who’d been vocal about their opinion had been Daisy.

That scared Jaune more than any Grimm ever had. For multiple reasons.

Jaune’s mother began the conversation, or discussion, or roasting ceremony, whatever it was called.

“Jaune, honey, I know we said we’d support you in anything you chose to do, but this wasn’t what we meant. I think you need to explain yourself, before any more of us jump to the same conclusions,” Juniper said, almost pleadingly.

This caught Jaune off-guard. He’d expected to have his family tear into him one after another without letting him speak, until they felt as if they were done.

The rest of his family was silent, so it was a little disconcerting.

Jaune went to open his mouth, but it was apparent that the silence wasn’t just the rest of his family, as Jaune couldn’t think of a single thing. He didn’t know where to start, he couldn’t tell his family about the System. His team was a bit different, of course, he’d be around them for the rest of his tenure at Beacon, and maybe even beyond. His family, though?

“Jaune, son, you faked your way into Beacon. I’d be impressed if I wasn’t so disappointed,” Jaune’s father, Chrys, said aloud, a frown gracing his face.

“I didn’t lie my way in!” Jaune exclaimed, finding his voice.

“Then how did you get in, Jaune? We all know you had next to no talent with any of the weapons you tried, you didn’t have your Aura unlocked, and you don’t have a semblance, Jaune! What else are we supposed to think?” Chrys shouted, standing upright.

Juniper’s hand was quickly placed against her husband’s arm, but Jaune was on his feet, anger written into his face.

“Not for lack of trying, Dad! I trained with Crocea Mors for months, and nothing! I could barely swing the damn thing, and I didn’t even know what Aura was, because you wouldn’t tell me! The sole Arc male, to precious to risk! Is our bloodline so important that you’d throw my dream away without even giving me a chance?!”

Chrys at least respected Jaune enough to sit back down. “That… that wasn’t what I…”

Jaune sat himself back down, unhooking Crocea Mors and the sheath from his belt and placing it on the table.

“I’ve killed Grimm with this thing, Dad. I’m good at it, ask my team. I have Aura, I have a semblance, and I won’t stop being a Hunter. You can’t stop me. My team needs its leader, and I need my team,” Jaune said, staring at the sheathed blade.

“You didn’t tell us, Jaune.”

Jaune looked up, at Daisy. Her face betrayed no emotion, but Jaune knew his twin sister.

“I’m sorry I lied. I’m sorry I left, and I’m sorry I didn’t call. But if I went back, and was given the same choice? I’d do it again, in a heartbeat. Being a Huntsman is what I’ve always wanted to do, what I’m meant to do. I didn’t want to hurt you, any of you, but I had a chance to follow my dream, and I took it with both hands, and hung on for dear life.”

Jaune looked back down, staring at the blade. “I’m so, so sorry. Please don’t hate me for the decision I’ve made.”

The table was once again filled with silence, and Jaune closed his eyes, unable to look at any of his family, no doubt staring at him with contempt, hating his very-

His eyes snapped open in surprise as he felt something he hadn’t felt in a very, very long time.

Nine sets of arms wrapped around him in a clusterous group hug, squeezing him tight enough to vent the very air from his lungs.

“Jaune, you foolish boy. We could never hate you,” Juniper said, voice muffled.

“Idiot, of course we love you,” Daisy said.

His other sisters all repeated very similar messages, hugging him tightly, and even Chrys spoke a muffled “Damn Hunter genes.”

Jaune felt air return to his lungs as they released him, returning to their seats.

“Jaune, I… no, that can wait. Go see if your team is settled in, and we’ll get the stuff for a cookout set up,” Jaune’s father said, and Jaune nodded, standing and clipping Crocea Mors to his belt once more, heading for the guest rooms.

“He reminds me of you when you were younger, Chrys,” Juniper said with a smile, and Chrys shook his head.

“I know, Juni. That’s what I’m worried about.”

* * *

  


“How’d it go, Jaune?”

Jaune gave Pyrrha a shaky smile. “It went… about as well as I could’ve hoped, I guess. You getting settled in fine?”

“Weiss insisted on having a room to herself, and Blake was surprised by the fact that we’d all have separate rooms. I’m all set up, myself, though it does feel a bit odd without the rest of you inside,” Pyrrha said, giving a small laugh. “I’ve almost gotten used to being crammed into a room with all of you.”

Jaune laughed at that. “I know what you mean. I spent my childhood crammed into a room with Daisy, and when we reached our teens we got our own rooms. All we did was complain that we were stuck with each other, and in a day we were missing each other’s company. It took some getting used to, that’s for sure.”

“Well, I’m glad you seem to have worked things out with your family, at least as much as you could. Did you tell them about your semblance?” Pyrrha asked.

“No, I won’t be. We’re going to have a more indepth chat tonight, over dinner, but I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention any details about my semblance. I’ll mention the same to Blake and Weiss, too,” Jaune replied, as the two headed down the hall.

His knuckles rapped on the next guest room door, and Blake opened it quietly. “Did it go well?”

Jaune nodded, and Blake was glad that he did, instead of having a full conversation. She preferred it this way, anyway.

The three moved on to what was temporarily Weiss’s room, and Jaune, much like the previous times, knocked on the door.

Weiss opened it with a huff. “Are your issues solved?”

Jaune raised an eyebrow. “I remember us being far more concerned about you and Blake than you seem to be about my own problems.”

“Are they or aren’t they?” Weiss asked again, crossing her arms.

“Yes?”

“Good. Now, can we have our luggage?” Weiss held out her hand.

Jaune scratched the back of his head, as he was prone to do.

“Eh-heh. Sorry?”

* * *

  


  
  
  



	17. Probably A Giant Snake, I Don't Know

* * *

  


The evening was as peaceful as family cookout with thirteen people could reasonably be.

Amidst the chattering of Jaune’s team and Jaune’s family, the blond teen sat, hands warming by the bonfire, his father next to him.

Mutual silence befitted them both, neither particularly skilled at conversing their emotions with the other. A rather typical father-son relationship, if Jaune were to be frank. Well, it was the only one he really had experience with, at least, so to him it was normal.

Their silence continued on for a little while, both content to listen to the rest speak, varying tones of excitement and interest filling the air. Daisy was conversing with Pyrrha, asking her about her Sanctum days, and a few more of Jaune’s sisters were listening intently as Weiss spoke of what it was like in Atlas. Blake and Olive, one of Jaune’s older sisters, were speaking quietly about something, hushed tones making it clear that Jaune didn’t  _ want  _ to know what it was they were discussing.

Of course, that couldn’t last forever, as Juniper leant over and nudged Chrys with an elbow, jolting the man into action.

“Jaune, can… can we speak for a moment?” He asked, and Jaune looked to his father in mild surprise, and less-than-mild nervousness.

“Yeah, Dad?” Jaune answered, as his father led him a little away from the bonfire and back towards the house.

“I need to speak to you, about what you said earlier. And what I said,” Chrys began, staring up at the stars in the sky, chunks of moon drifting into view beyond the treeline.

“I want you to know that I didn’t explain what Aura was to you not to protect the bloodline, but to protect you, Jaune.”

Jaune stared at his father, as the man folded his arms.

“I need you to understand something, something I should’ve made much more clear. I am so, so proud of your dream to become a hero,” Chrys said, before turning to face his son.

“ However, the reason I didn’t want you to become a Huntsman is because a Huntsman is not a hero.  _ I’m _ not a hero, no matter the stories we’ve told you over the years. Neither is your mother, or any of your sisters. We’re Huntsman and Huntresses, Hunters, Jaune. The most important thing I can ever make you understand is what a Hunter does.”

The moonlight proved it had excellent dramatic timing as it shone over Chrys’s face. “Hunters hunt, Jaune. They hunt Grimm, and they hunt people.”

The man fell silent, as Jaune digested what his father had said.

It took a moment before Jaune was capable of formulating a response. “I know, Dad. I get it, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t the best path for me to take to become a hero.”

The happy chattering served as an interesting contrast to their conversation, as Chrys spoke up once more. “Jaune. Hunters aren’t police. We don’t arrest criminals, or terrorists. We hunt them. What happens to something once it’s been hunted?”

Jaune was quick to answer, though he knew it wasn’t something either party liked. “It’s killed.”

“Exactly, Jaune. I didn’t want you to be a Huntsman because I didn’t want to see such a sweet, heroic boy turn into a grizzled Huntsman like myself, or many of the men and women I know. It isn’t a heroic job, son.”

Jaune shook his head. “Sometimes that’s what it takes, though. They endanger innocents, and Hunters have a code. Capture or kill, Dad. Not just kill.”

Chrys shook his head sadly. “And when you’re pinned against a door with twelve children behind it and a crew of slavers in front of you, the hard choice suddenly becomes the only choice. I didn’t want you to have to make that choice.”

Jaune watched as his father turned away, old memories running rampant.

“Jaune… I’m so damn proud of you, though. I can’t say it enough. You lead a team of capable Huntresses, and you made your way into Beacon through their entrance exam,” Chrys said, as he watched the others by the fire. “Though I’m not sure how you managed it.”

Jaune gave a nervous chuckle. “It’s a long, long story, something Headmaster Ozpin told me not to speak about. Sorry, Dad.”

Chrys snorted. “Ozpin and his damned secrecy. That man… No, nevermind. It isn’t important.”

Jaune reached up to scratch the back of his head, but his arm was blocked as Chrys wrapped his arm around Jaune’s shoulders, pulling him into a side hug.

“Either way, Jaune, I’m glad you’ve been able to find some friends. Take care of them, you hear me?”

Jaune nodded as the two stood adjacent, watching the flickering fire.

After a time, the two rejoined the group, and actively participated in the various conversations, Chrys asking about how it was with Jaune as the leader, and Jaune begging his team not to make him sound like a terrible leader.

And Jaune found himself completely at peace, something he hadn’t felt in a while.

It was a feeling he’d found himself missing.

* * *

  


Jaune and his team were the most relaxed they’d been in some time. With the pressure of school, Blake’s extra-curricular activity, and Jaune trying to figure out the System, it wasn’t surprising that a break from all that was not only appreciated, but deserved.

The Arc family had been nothing but gracious hosts, and whilst Jaune had expected that, it was a pleasant time for Pyrrha, Blake and Weiss, the latter of which was remarkably surprised with the quality of stay she was experiencing.

And, to be honest, Weiss was actually appreciating the homely style the entire house had. It was nothing like the Schnee Manor, nor any of the hotels she’d stayed at whenever she’d ventured out from the manor. The country air was clean, the atmosphere was peaceful and friendly, and it was, all in all, a relaxing experience.

Nearly two weeks had passed without any of the Beacon students doing much of anything aside from relaxing, reading, and, much to the dismay of Weiss, playing video games in an attempt to understand Jaune’s semblance.

It had taken Weiss nearly a day of practise to grasp the concept of ‘looking’, or in this case, manipulating the camera in an attempt to maintain coherent sight on objectives, without accidentally staring at the sky and being unable to look down due to a failure in hand-eye-coordination and memory.

Blake had mastered the basics rather quickly, and Pyrrha’s competitive nature had shown as she followed Blake’s lead, and despite Weiss’s similarly competitive nature, she’d taken the longest to establish a firm grasp on the concept.

Now, though, mastering the strategy of wide-area tactics and squad management, this was where Weiss was beginning to excel. Of course, Blake and Pyrrha were much better at the ‘Quick Time Events’, whatever those were, but still. She wasn’t about to let the ‘metagame’, as Jaune called it, escape her focus.

The four were sat on the various couches, rotating through turns on the console as Jaune walked them through standard video game concepts, whilst also concentrating on some of the elements of said games.

Currently, it was a multiplayer match of the videogame version of Remnant: The Game, whose original name was the butt of many jokes in most forums.

This was their second match, and their first proper competitive match. The first match had been Jaune explaining the rules and certain card effects, so that the rest of AWBN could grasp the concepts the game laid out.

Weiss was, expectedly, Atlas, with Pyrrha as Mistral, Blake as Vacuo, and finally Jaune as Vale, which fit them all almost perfectly, aside from Blake, who was disappointed Menagerie didn’t have any representation in the game.

Jaune had been quick to assuage Blake of her concern, saying there was, he was just too cheap to buy the DLC.

After then explaining what DLC was, the match had begun, the four building up their respective armies.

Each of their scrolls, linked up to the console, displayed their cards, and soon, the first round of turns had ended.

“I’m sorry, Jaune, but I’m declaring war on Vale,” Pyrrha said, much to the surprise of everyone else.

“What? But Pyrrha, why?!” Jaune exclaimed, as the board on the screen manipulated Pyrrha’s Mistralian ground forces onto the eastern coast of the continent of Sanus.

“It’s either you or Weiss, and I don’t particularly fancy going up against an airfleet, Jaune, I’m sorry,” Pyrrha explained apologetically.

“Aw, damn. Well, My land defenses aren’t close enough, so I guess I’ll just have to… play Giant Nevermore!” With a cry, Jaune tapped his scroll, the screech of a digital Nevermore playing over the speakers as an animated icon appeared on the screen.

The two digital dice rolled, and Jaune crossed his fingers.

A five, and a three.

“Yes!” Jaune cheered, and the four watched as a torrential downpour of Nevermore feathers littered the digital battlefield, destroying half of Pyrrha’s ground forces, the rest scrambling for cover.

“Now my ground forces are underway, and you’ve lost half your forces!” Jaune cheered again, and Pyrrha frowned.

“You got lucky, Arc,” Weiss said, shaking her head. “Entrusting your future to luck, that sounds just like something you’d do.”

Jaune laughed. “Technically, Luck is one of my stats.”

Pyrrha glared at Jaune.

“ Wait, it’s the stat I’m most average in! I’m not cheating! I didn’t even know I  _ could _ cheat!” Jaune rushed to explain, hands up in an attempt to placate the redheaded teen.

The game continued for a few turns, as Blake stayed mostly to herself, Vacuo slowly but surely building a competent army, as Weiss and Pyrrha skirmished, Pyrrha having pulled her forces back to Mistral.

Jaune was mostly content to up his military forces much like Blake, playing a defensive game and waiting until someone else made a move on him, preparing a trap.

A trap he’d never get to spring.

“Jaune! Dad needs you!” Daisy called out, poking her head into the room.

Jaune gave his twin a nod, tossing her his scroll. “Take over for me, Daisy, and don’t lose!”

The two switched positions with practised ease, and it was apparent that Daisy shared Jaune’s tactical mind as she immediately realised what he was planning.

Jaune was already out the door, though, and wouldn’t get to see his plan executed.

“You needed me, Dad?” Jaune asked, as the teen stepped into the yard, the afternoon sun shining from behind the sparse cloud cover.

Chrys Arc stood there, decked out in his armor, massive sword in his hands, blade pointed at the ground.

“Training, my boy. We’ve never gone toe to toe, and I look forward to seeing what you can do.”

Jaune paled. “Uh, Dad, I don’t think I’m that good…”

“Nonsense. You got into Beacon legitimately, so you should be able to at least keep up with me.”

Jaune liked to think he wasn’t worried. He liked to think the idea of sparring with his fully-fledged Hunter father wasn’t a terrifying prospect.

Jaune also liked to lie to himself a lot.

“Get your gear, Jaune, I’ll wait.”

Jaune, tremoring, went back into the house, donning his armor and grabbing Crocea Mors, before returning to the yard, still shaking somewhat.

“Come on, Jaune, you’ve killed Ursa three times your size, you can spar with Dad. This shouldn’t be that bad. You’re just exaggerating,” The boy said to himself, whispering under his breath.

The man was still standing in the same position, sword planted into the ground, muscular arms leaning against the handle.

It was a stark comparison between the two. Chrys stood with gleaming armor that covered his entire torso and shoulders, greaves shining, and gauntlets wrapped around his arms.

Jaune stood with his cheaper, steel plate armor that barely covered anything, an attempt made at protecting his internal organs, thought the attempt was done more for a design standpoint than an actual defensive standpoint.

And that wasn’t even to mention the sheer disparity between weapons. Crocea Mors was a one-handed sword, alongside a shield.

Chrys’s weapon was an immense two-handed broadsword, the end forking inwards in an inverse point.

It was as intimidating as the man would be to face in battle, and Jaune was very much not looking forward to this. At least Ozpin hadn’t decked himself out in armor.

“Are you ready, Jaune?” Chrys asked, drawing his blade from the dirt and hefting it over his shoulder. “We’ll start when you are.”

Jaune was struck by a sudden bout of genius. With a single breath, he drew Crocea Mors, deployed his sheath into a shield, and, with a shout of “Ready!”, sprinted in towards his father.

The man wasn’t as caught off guard as Jaune was hoping, swinging his broadsword down with a single hand, making Jaune have to back off his assault, lest he get crushed beneath the weight of the weapon.

The man wound back for a second swing, and his other hand grasped the handle beneath his first, and the swing had more power and more speed behind it, the air whistling as the blade carved through it.

Jaune lifted his shield, the blade hitting it on an angle, Chrys’s blade being deflected, and Jaune felt his muscles tense, the impact driving him back a couple feet.

Another strike followed the first, blade carving through the space between the two, intense mass bearing down as Jaune used the angle to block the attack, once again deflecting the blade to the side with a grunt of pain, exerting himself.

The Arc patriarch, or PatriArc, if you would, was barely fazed by the deflected attack, his immense physical prowess meaning that he was able to regain control of the sword, angling it for, yet again, another attack.

Jaune braced for the impact, still trying to figure out exactly what he was supposed to do, when he realised that the attack was yet to come.

He peered at his father from behind his shield, only to see the man staring off into the distance, towards the forest that surrounded the town.

Jaune, assuming the spar was over, sheathed Crocea Mors, leaving the shield deployed on his arm as he did so.

Something was clearly wrong.

“Jaune, get your team, and fetch your mother. Something’s wrong,” Chrys ordered, and Jaune blanked for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, and his father took a moment before responding.

“Listen.”

Jaune did so, listening intently. He heard nothing. “I don’t hear anything, Dad.”

The man nodded. “Exactly. What happened to the birds, the animals. Silence like this isn’t natural. Something’s coming.”

Jaune frowned, before extending his arm.  _ Bound Soul  _ triggered, and a chirp from Alcmena indicated that the bird had been summoned, as if the extra weight on Jaune’s arm hadn’t been enough.

Chrys stared at the not-quite-a-Grimm that sat on Jaune’s arm, slack-jawed, but Jaune didn’t have the time nor the will to explain what was happening, and instead mentally ordered Alcmena to take off, the bird doing as he willed it to.

“Alcmena will get us a view up above. I’ll get the others,” Jaune said, breaking into a jog as he approached the house.

Blake was already sticking her head out the door, a concerned look on her face.

“Did you hear?” Jaune asked, and the faunus girl nodded. “Get the rest of AWBN, then, we’ll meet up in the yard. Grab your gear.”

Blake did as her leader bid, ducking back inside the house and heading towards where Pyrrha and Weiss were, as Jaune took a different turn, headed for where his mother’s last known location, the reading room.

He didn’t really care about manners as he practically bust down the door, his mother letting out a mild yelp as he did so.

“Jaune! What’s wrong?” She asked, concerned.

“Dad thinks it’s Grimm.” The only explanation that Jaune gave was the only explanation Juniper needed, climbing to her feet from her comfortable seat and quickly passing by Jaune.

“Violet! Indigo! Lapis! Olive! Situation, grab your weapons!” Juniper shouted. “Daisy, get Marigold and Azalea, get them into the safe room!”

The house was suddenly abuzz with noise as everyone began rushing around, and Jaune was quick to get back out to the yard, linking his senses to Alcmena’s with  _ Bound Senses _ .

Chrys watched as Jaune’s eyes glowed a bright blue. It was at this point that Jaune paled.

“Dad, how many Grimm do you think there are?” The boy asked.

His father replied quickly. “At least a hundred. Why?”

“Uh… A quick cursory count, rough estimate sort of thing… I’m seeing at least double that.”

Chrys’s face joined Jaune’s in paling. “Oh. That could be bad. I don’t know if we can hold off that many Grimm. Not without a choke point.”

“Can we lead them away?” Jaune asked, practically spitballing ideas at this point.

“Not without significant emotional provocation, or a massive amount of Aura users flaring at the same time,” Chrys answered, as Juniper and the older four Arc sisters stepped into the yard alongside the rest of AWBN, all decked out in their various armaments.

“There are eight of us. Is that enough?” Jaune asked.

“Not even close. This amount of Grimm, from this distance, drawing them away from a target like this, we’d need at least twenty. Most probably more, though, depending on the quality and quantity of Aura,” Chrys replied.

Jaune, eyes still glowing, gave the swarm of Grimm one more cursory glance from Alcmena’s point of view, before cutting the link. “We’ve got about three minutes to figure out a plan, Dad.”

“Jaune, how do you…” Juniper began, but Jaune shook his head.

“Now’s probably not the time, Mum. Later?”

His mother agreed, stepping up next to her husband. “Daisy, Mari and Azalea are in the safe room. How many?”

“Jaune says at least two hundred, but my gut says more. A mixed variety, Jaune?” Chrys turned to face his son.

“Mostly Beowolves and Ursa, though I did spot a couple bigger things. Taijitu, probably. Didn’t see any Nevermores or Deathstalkers, but don’t quote me on that,” Jaune replied with far more levity than he actually felt.

“I suppose we only have one option. Olive, go to the town, take care of the evacuation. Lapis, go with her, the two of you can handle it. Violet, Indigo, take the far side. Jaune, take your team and hold the close side. Your mother and I will take the center. Stay in touch, use your scrolls, and stay safe. Don’t risk yourselves for some buildings.” Chrys’s authoritative tone brooked no argument from any of the surrounding people, and they quickly rushed into action.

It took nearly a minute of running for Jaune and his team to reach their designated point, but they were glad to have at least some time to prepare.

“I’m going to set up a perimeter of sigils. You guys set up whatever you can. We’re holding this line, no matter what,” Jaune said, quickly setting forth.

Time was significantly limited, but Jaune was fast to prepare, a series of  _ Mana Grenade  _ imbued  _ Spell Sigils _ being placed with relative spacing. It wasn’t neat, it wasn’t a flawless structure designed to maximise blast potential, but it was enough that Jaune was confident it would kill at least some Grimm. And, honestly, that was all that really mattered to Jaune.

Five sigils were sketched into the dirt before Jaune had to pull back to their defensive line they’d promptly set up, as the first quote-unquote wave of Beowolves breached the treeline.

Gunfire from Pyrrha and Blake lit up the target rich environment as the lupine Grimm threw themselves at the new threats that they’d discovered, and Jaune quickly ordered Alcmena to fly an orbit over his parents and his oldest sisters, as a precaution.

He drew his sword as he did so, stepping in front of Blake as Weiss stood behind Pyrrha. The redhead and the leader were to serve as the frontline, and Blake and Weiss would serve as the reserve force, in a sense.

It was a formation they’d developed pretty early into their team training, under the watchful and intimidating guise of Professor Goodwitch. Formations had been drilled into their heads from the beginning of the semester, and Jaune found himself thankful the woman had been adamant about it being second nature.

All of his team possessed at least some element of tactical awareness, so it made their communication both silent and incredibly effective, at least for basic concepts such as this.

The Grimm were, as they tended to be, relentless, though, and soon the gunfire was proving to not be enough to hold back the veritable swarm of monsters as they closed in. Pyrrha quickly swapped to her xiphos form, and alongside Jaune the two began swinging and slashing at the wall of dark, shadowy flesh and snapping teeth as they used their shields to block the occasional swipe that wasn’t either cut off or otherwise interrupted.

Jaune needed to conserve his Mana, but he wasn’t suicidally obsessed with the idea. These Grimm, almost entirely Beowolves, died within one or two strikes, and though there were many, AWBN were managing to hold them off. Of course, Weiss was doing her best with her ice to pin the monsters into a relative chokehold, and Blake was darting in and out with tactically-minded slashes to either deflect strikes or to simply end high-priority targets wherever she saw them, doing her best to maintain an eye on the entire fight, occasionally relaying information to Jaune, who was deep enough into a melee that he wasn’t able to see the bigger picture.

Information, crowd control, tanking, and strategy. The four most important elements of a successful team engaged in a fight with a horde. Another thing that, whilst worded differently, Professor Goodwitch had instilled in their minds. Although Professor Port had said things along the same vein, his were usually blended amongst hour-long exaggerated retellings of his supposedly real prior ventures.

“Jaune, they’re running out of Beowolves! It’s mostly Ursa now!” Blake called out, from slightly behind him, a little to his left.

Jaune frowned. Ursa were tougher and slower, and there were less of them, but their size was going to prove to be the biggest issue.

“Let me know when the majority of the Ursa reach the sigils!” Jaune shouted back over the sound of various screaming, growling and howling the hostile force was emitting.

It was a veritable cacophony of lupinous noise, and Jaune was starting to get sick of the sound.

“Jaune! Now!” Blake shouted, and Jaune mentally triggered the sigils.

The cacophony suddenly seemed muted in comparison to the dull thuds of five  _ Mana Grenades _ spontaneously detonating, the roars of the not-quite-but-almost-dead Ursa that had been nearby following the shockwave that travelled in the wake of the explosions.

“Yeah!” Jaune cheered as he felt himself re-invigorated, slashing and cutting though the horde that threatened still to press down on him and Pyrrha, the girl, much like himself, sweating like a leaking barrel of water.

The constant assault was exhausting, mentally and physically, so this minor victory was major in Jaune’s mind.

To top it all off, in the back of Jaune’s mind, the boy could feel Alcmena letting off attack after attack, her bronze tipped feathers raining down atop the Grimm near the rest of his family, as they too fought against the monstrous assault.

And then the rest of the Ursa impacted against Jaune and Pyrrha.

The two nearly buckled under the onslaught of Grimm, as Weiss strained herself to maintain a variety of glyphs, doing her best to keep the monsters from swarming around the side.

The Grimm were drawn to the defenders, like metal to a magnet, but Jaune knew it wasn’t enough. There were Grimm slipping through the cracks, and the boy could only hope that Olive and Lapis were aware enough to take care of them.

It wasn’t enough to simply slash, block and cut at the Grimm, so Jaune decided to give himself a little space to work with.

A  _ Shield Bash _ followed by a bare-handed  _ Mana Blast _ was enough to get some distance, a little bit of breathing room, and he quickly cast  _ Power _ and  _ Enduring _ on himself, buffing his STR and END for the next minute.

That was all he had time to buff, however, as the Grimm swarmed back in, the mass of bodies becoming difficult to fight around.

“We need to pull back a little!” Jaune called out, bracing against another Ursa’s attack, claws scraping over the metal of his shield.

“We barely have the time to disengage, Jaune!” Pyrrha shouted back, the girl’s weapons a blur as she cut, sliced, dodged and blocked anything within her range.

Jaune unleashed a  _ Mana Slash _ into the writhing mass of Grimm, before blocking yet another attack.

“Jaune, I can’t hold these glyphs much longer!” Weiss exclaimed, exhaustion evident in her voice.

Jaune didn’t know what to do. If they pulled back, the Grimm would surge forward and gain significant momentum, if they stayed they’d be overwhelmed.

Jaune needed to disorient the Grimm, something they could use to push them back. Something to knock them off their feet.

And then Jaune had an idea.

“Find your center of gravity!” Jaune shouted as loud as he could, before dropping his sword and slamming his hand into the ground, channelling Mana out the end.

Even the Grimm seemed surprised as the ground trembled, shook and quaked, cracks splintering through the dirt and stone as glowing light emerged from the interior, breaking apart the terrain with a violent shaking.

Jaune was quick on the draw, picking up Crocea Mors and attacking, Pyrrha right behind him. Blake was quick to follow suit, and even Weiss was spearing and puncturing Grimm with Myrtenaster, the four forming a wedge formation as they drove through the monsters.

The Grimm that had remained standing were dispatched without incident, and the Grimm that had been knocked off their feet became even easier targets, unable to defend themselves.

Few Grimm remained, the onslaught having been reduced to the toughest of the bunch. Only a couple Beowolf Alphas and a few Ursa Majors.

“Come on, AWBN, we’ve got this!” Jaune cheered, as the last Grimm pushed their way closer and closer.

The Alpha Beowolves were first up, but they weren’t even that big a threat, Jaune and his team cutting through them like a warm knife through warmer butter.

The Ursa Majors, two of them, would prove to be marginally more challenging, and so Jaune decided to use some of the Mana he’d managed to regenerate. He was thankful for that Mana Cognition perk, that was for sure.

A  _ Spinning Mana Bullet _ punctured the chest of the first Ursa Major, and Pyrrha quickly leapt forward with a spinning slash that decapitated the beast, as Jaune effectively kneecapped the second, driving Crocea Mors point first through the Ursa’s leg, the tip of his blade piercing flesh and skin to emerge from the other side.

The Ursa gave an immense roar as it buckled down onto one leg, and Weiss quickly stabbed it through the eye, the point of her rapier piercing with a spray of black arterial goo.

“Clear!” Blake called out, as she surveyed the surroundings.

Jaune withdrew his sword from the Ursa Major’s knee, wiping it against the rapidly decaying flesh, and sheathing it, shield retracting to fit comfortably against his side in its usual position.

“Well done, AWBN,” Jaune said with a staggered exhalation, exhaustion, fatigue and adrenaline shooting through him in alternating staccato bursts.

“How are the others?” Pyrrha asked, wiping the sweat off her brow.

Jaune didn’t answer, taking a deep breath and activating  _ Bound Senses _ , seeing through Alcmena’s eyes as she flew about the sky, eyes on the battlefield.

“ Alcmena can’t see anything unusual, so I think we’re in the clear,” Jaune said, deactivating  _ Bound Senses _ .

A loud, indescribable screeching sound dissuaded him of that notion incredibly quickly, sword and shield finding their way into his hands with utmost haste.

Jaune could see the treetops in the distant part of the forest shaking, and whatever was causing it was making its way closer.

Jaune commanded Alcmena to fly back towards him, but at the rate the thing was approaching was fast enough that it probably wouldn’t matter.

“Incoming!” Jaune shouted, and it burst through the trees.

The Elder King Taijitu that burst from the foliage with a screech was a surprise, one that Jaune would have been very happy to have lived without, but one he was very much going to have to deal with regardless.

“That thing is massive! Any ideas?” Weiss asked, backing up alongside the rest of her team.

Jaune, one for creating incredibly detailed, in-depth plans with many steps and effective, idiot-proof strategy, quickly and effectively came up with a plan. “Hit it with everything we’ve got!”

Jaune followed up his incredibly detailed explanation of his complex and effective plan by charging and blasting a  _ Mana Pulse _ at the immense two-headed snake Grimm, the amorphous ball of Mana impacting against its head with a dull thud and a plume of Mana-coloured smoke.

The beast decided that it didn’t like that very much, giving a roar in response.

So, Jaune tried again, this time firing a  _ Mana Pulse _ infused with lightning.

The sparking orb of lightning infused Mana once again impacted against the Elder King Taijitu’s white-sided head with a crackling thud.

It didn’t like that much either.

Jaune gulped a deep, dramatic gulp, as the giant snake reared closer towards the four.

“Well, now what?” Weiss exclaimed, as the gigantic snake eked even closer.

Jaune, ever the tactician, announced his new idea. “Hit it even harder?”

The Elder King Taijitu decided it didn’t like that idea any more than the previous times.

They were all going to die.

* * *

  


  
  
  



	18. If I Had A Pet Snake, I'd Name It Ouro

* * *

  


Vale was as busy as it usually was on a weekday, the crowds bustling about, various people attending to their various jobs. Couriers cycled by, delivering the various packages they were entrusted with, vendors proclaimed their goods with bright advertisements, sign-spinners spun their signs, and pedestrians walked the paths that laid about the scattered cityscape.

One such pair of pedestrians had a destination in mind for a very specific reason, one that was not necessarily their own, but one they had a very good reason to obey.

“Mercury, I will pay you to shut up.”

“That isn’t your money.”

“It can be yours if you stop talking.”

Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black paced down the sidewalk in downtown Vale, bickering with each other.

“I don’t think there’s enough Lien in the world to get me to stop talking, Em,” Mercury replied, smirking all the while.

“One of these days I’m certain I’ll figure out a way,” Emerald said, frowning at the teen as he opened his mouth to make a comment. “Don’t even think about saying that, Merc. I’ll gut you here and now, and finish the job myself.”

Mercury laughed, exaggeratedly stretching his arm around to reach across Emerald’s shoulders. “Aw, you sure about that, Em?”

The sheer look of venom that Emerald stared at Mercury with was enough for the boy to hastily retract his arm back to his side, looking for anything that could be a convenient excuse to distract the angry green-haired girl.

“Oh look, Tukson’s Book Trade. Ladies first?”

The glare softened to one of mild, passive hatred and excessive annoyance, the typical look Emerald wore around most people when she wasn’t hiding, and the dark-skinned girl opened the door, stepping through into the bookstore, accompanied by the standard door chime that sounded, like most, if not all, stores in Vale.

No one was manning the counter, but a voice still sounded out nonetheless. “Welcome to Tukson’s Book Trade, home to every book under the sun! If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll be right with you!”

The sound of shuffling could be heard throughout the empty store, as Mercury shut the door behind him, his compatriot standing at the front of the desk.

The man, presumably Tukson, emerged from the back of the store, stepping through the door with mild hesitation, before donning the friendliest customer-service smile he could. “Can I help you?”

“Hi, I was just wondering if you had any copies of ‘The Thief and The Butcher?” Emerald asked, her voice far sweeter than usual.

“Uh, yes, I believe we do,” Tukson replied, looking around at the two.

“That’s great!” Emerald exclaimed, exaggerated happiness imbuing every word.

“Would you like a copy?” Tukson asked, thrown off guard.

“No, I was just wondering. Oh, what about ‘Violet’s Garden’? In paperback?”

Tukson took a moment, but Mercury beat him to the answer. “He’s got it. Hardback, too.”

“Ooh, options are nice!” Emerald said, as Mercury slammed the book shut, uninterested in the contents.

“Do you have any comics?” The steel-haired boy asked.

“Near the front,” Tukson replied, his glance jumping between the two.

“Hmm… What about… ‘Third Crusade’?” Emerald asked.

The air around Tukson suddenly felt incredibly cold. “I… don’t believe we carry that one.”

The sound of another book being shut loudly made Tukson jump.

“What was this place called again?” Emerald asked, voice returning to its normal sound.

“Tukson’s Book Trade,” Tukson answered.

“And you’re Tukson?” Emerald asked.

“That’s right,” Tukson said, glancing between the two again.

“So then I take it that you’re the one that came up with the catchphrase?”

Tukson just nodded in response to the girl’s question.

“And, what was it again?” Mercury asked.

“Tukson’s Book Trade, home to every book under the sun,” Tukson repeated.

“Except the ‘Third Crusade’,” Mercury said.

“It’s just a catchphrase,” Tukson said.

“It’s false advertising!” The steel-haired teen exclaimed.

Emerald leaned forward, placing an elbow on the counter. “You shouldn’t make a promise you can’t keep, Tukson.”

Mercury placed his hand on one of the switches near the door, the leftmost window darkening until it was no longer transparent.

“I hear that you’re planning on leaving. Moving all the way to Vacuo,” Emerald continued, as Mercury darkened the window that was set into the door.

“Your brothers in the White Fang won’t be happy to hear that,” Emerald said, as Mercury darkened the final window, smirking at the larger man.

“And neither are we. You know who we are, don’t you?” Emerald asked, one hand reaching down as she leant against the countertop.

“Yes.”

“And you know why we’re here?”

“Yes.”

“So…” Emerald spoke, drawing out the word. “Are you going to fight back?”

Emerald didn’t receive an answer as the counter exploded, the man charging her, claws protruding from his fingertips.

Emerald flipped back, moving fast enough to clear herself from the man’s suicidal charge, his swings uncontrolled and full of rage.

Tukson, it seemed, had no combat training, no tactical awareness, and, as the squelch of boot meeting face sounded, no Aura.

“Would you like to do the honours, Em, or can I?” Mercury asked, leaning over the unconscious faunus that lay on the ground, blood leaking from his broken nose.

“Go on, just make it quick,” Emerald replied.

The sound of a shotgun discharging was the only indicator that something had gone amiss inside Tukson’s Book Trade, but no one would notice for some time.

* * *

  


“Aah!” Jaune screamed, as the giant snake lunged at him, jaws snapping shut over where he had been only moments before, the boy dodging out of the way just in time to avoid being punctured by the giant fangs of the bi-headed serpent.

The black head realigned itself in an attempt to bite Jaune again, but the teen wasn’t willing to let it plunge that venomous fang into his body anymore than he had been earlier, and he let an electrically-charged  _ Mana Arrow _ fly, the sparking arrow of Mana flying from his fingertip and hitting the dense scales of the Grimm, discharging against it.

The reptilian Grimm didn’t appreciate that, rearing back and letting loose an ear-splitting hiss, which seemed counterproductive, but Jaune wasn’t in the mindset to judge the logistics of giant snakes.

“Jaune!” Pyrrha called out, as she opened fire on the white head, the snake letting loose another deafening hiss as a lucky shot pierced it’s open maw, splitting flesh, whereas the rest of the rounds simply dented and deflected off the scales.

“I know, Pyrrha!” Jaune replied, as he used his shield to deflect the giant fang of the Grimm to the side.

He didn’t even have time to counterattack the Grimm, its head already back in position, readying itself for another lunge.

“I’m not sure how long we can keep this up!” Weiss exclaimed, already critically low on Dust. The girl had resorted to simply waiting for the snake’s black head to lunge and then attempt to stab it. So far, she hadn’t had any luck, much like the rest of AWBN.

Blake grabbed Pyrrha and leaped backwards as the two cleared the impact zone as the snake’s white head lunged once again.

Jaune only had one idea of how to kill this thing, but he really, really didn’t want to do it. He also didn’t want to explain it, or even think about it, but at this rate, there wasn’t much else he could do.

He still wanted to workshop it a little before he plunged into it, so here they were, buying as much time as they could so he could figure something out.

Jaune loosed a barrage of lightning-infused  _ Mana Bullets _ at the snake’s black head, hoping the higher armor-piercing would help him, but it appeared useless, the Mana projectiles simply dissipating upon impact.

It didn’t mean it wasn’t doing damage, it was, but it was negligible in the long run. Jaune would be here for a few hours if he were to keep doing that. At least he wouldn’t run out of Mana, thanks to the perk he’d received.

Jaune jumped sideways to avoid another lunge, something he was becoming rather familiar with, but he wasn’t exactly happy with that fact.

Weiss used a glyph beneath her to propel herself, the piercing point of Myrtenaster in front of her, but the blade simply took the path of least resistance, sliding against the scales and off to the side, where Weiss stumbled closer to the snake’s torso, or whatever that part of a snake was called.

Jaune quickly distracted the black head, this time with an lightning-infused  _ Mana Slash _ , the arcing Mana once again dissipating on impact.

It served its purpose, though, giving Weiss time to regain her footing and quickly back away, gaining distance on the giant snake.

“Jaune, if you have any better ideas, now would be the time to implement them, we don’t have the luxury of holding this thing off any longer!” Weiss called out.

“She’s right, Jaune! Blake and I are almost out of ammunition!” Pyrrha called out.

Jaune swore under his breath.

“Don’t be mad!” Jaune exclaimed, and ran at the snake.

Weiss stared wide-eyed as her leader was swallowed whole by the black head of the snake.

* * *

  


Patch had been peaceful. Her father had been more than happy to house her team, considering half of RRYN already lived there.

Taiyang Xiao Long had gotten along splendidly with Nora and Ren, the pair sharing common traits with her dad.

Nora’s excitability and her father’s were one and the same, and when Nora found out that Taiyang was an excellent maker-of-breakfast, Ren had volunteered to help out.

It meant that every morning was a feast of grand proportions, Ren’s normally hidden competitiveness brought into the limelight as he competed.

Of course, as Ruby and her team rode the ferry back to Vale, the youngest Beacon student couldn’t help but have her thoughts stray to her fellow team leader.

Strong, dependable Jaune. His position was the sole comfort Ruby felt as a leader herself. Jaune believed in her, she could tell, and so could her team.

If only she could convince herself.

Ruby let out a sigh, her arms dangling over the railings as she leaned on the railing, watching the sea roll past.

“What’s wrong, sis?”

Ruby turned her head to see Yang lean next to her, a concerned look on her face.

Ruby was half-tempted to wave it off as nothing, but her sister was far more perceptive then she seemed, something Ruby was very familiar with.

“I… I don’t know. I just feel a little down, I guess. I don’t know why.”

Yang nodded in understanding, regardless of how vague Ruby’s explanation had been. “You miss AWBN.”

Ruby didn’t know if that was it, but it sounded somewhat similar. “I don’t really know. I mean, yeah, I miss them, this first semester has been great, but I can’t help but feel like something’s… wrong, you know?”

“How so?” Yang asked, slinging a comforting arm around her younger sister’s shoulders and pulling her in for a side-hug.

“Just… look at Vale,” Ruby said, and Yang did so, gazing towards the city. “It looks so peaceful from a distance, but we still haven’t stopped Torchwick or the White Fang. They’re still out there, wreaking havoc, and we haven’t done anything about it. The eight of us have been at the forefront of a lot of the stuff that’s been happening, you know, and it just… I just find myself wondering what’s to come, I guess.”

Yang studied her sister intently. “You’re far more mature than I am, Rubes. I know how you feel a little… insecure… about your position as our leader, but you’re way better than I would be. I’m nowhere near as responsible as you are. We’ll get them, Ruby. We’ve just got to be patient, you know?”

Ruby smiled a small smile, and Yang turned the side-hug into a full hug, wrapping Ruby in her arms. “I know how proud Mum would be of you, Ruby.”

When Yang released her sister, Ruby looked a little shaky, but absolutely resolute in her convictions. “Thanks, Yang. You always know what to say.”

Of course, the moment wouldn’t be a typical moment between the Rose-Xiao Long sisters without an interruption of some kind.

“Ruby, Yang. The news is broadcasting reports of a Grimm attack on a border village. Where did Jaune go?” Ren was wearing a concerned expression, and likewise so was Nora, who’d followed him up to the top deck.

Yang looked to her sister, worry in her expression.

“Domremy,” Ruby said, and the crestfallen expression Ren wore did nothing but stir up more worry.

“Oh no.”

* * *

  


Weiss, Pyrrha and Blake stared blankly at the spot Jaune had been standing right before he’d charged inside the Elder King Taijitu’s black-headed mouth.

The snake itself was far too preoccupied to notice the external threat, surprisingly leaving the three to stare as it squirmed and twisted, doing its best to do… something.

Something the three huntresses-in-training couldn’t understand, let alone explain.

“Uh…” Blake said, in shock.

Pyrrha couldn’t even formulate words, and Weiss looked as if she’d been slapped.

“Girls!” A voice called, and Weiss jumped, startled.

“Um, Mr Arc…” Blake began, but the man waved it off.

“I’ve told you to call me Chrys. Where’s Jaune?” Chrys asked, looking around. Likewise behind him the rest of the Arc family, aside from Daisy, Marigold and Azalea, were scanning around for a sign of the leader of AWBN.

“He’s… uh…” Pyrrha began, but Weiss summed it up rather well.

“He leaped inside the King Taijitu.”

Chrys stared at the giant snake Grimm in shock. “Oh.”

The serpentine Grimm was still squirming, in obvious discomfort as something seemed to be causing pain on the inside.

“Why did he leap inside the Taijitu?” Juniper asked, a worried expression on her face

“Um…” Blake said again, unable to really formulate coherent sentences.

It was at this point the black head of the snake swallowed the white head.

* * *

  


If Jaune was going to be honest, he wasn’t having a great time.

This was, without a doubt, his worst idea ever.

This was even worse than asking the neighbour’s daughter on a date, only to be turned down because he was an awkward stuttering mess who looked more like a mop than a boy.

Of course, he was getting sidetracked.

The more pressing matter at hand was the pressing matter of the inside of the Taijitu, the flesh squeezing down on his body as he squirmed inside it, barely able to breath.

It smelled heavily of something Jaune couldn’t pinpoint, but the air was thick, thick enough that Jaune swore he could see it.

Crocea Mors was still drawn, of course, as was his shield, but it was impossible to move it without it getting caught on red, sticky flesh.

He could feel the acid on his skin, too. It was burning away at his clothes, at his armor, and only his sword and shield were seemingly resistant to the corrosiveness of the internals of the giant serpent.

Jaune couldn’t work up any kind of force to drive Crocea Mors into the thick, rippling flesh, he had no space to work with, but he retracted his shield into a sheath, doing his best to attach it back to his belt. Or what was left of his belt, anyway, the leather being slowly but surely digested, as he would be too.

His skin was being eaten away by the acid, and Jaune continued to wince in pain as it dissolved and repaired, only to begin the cycle again.

It was digesting him, and even with Jaune’s HP and regenerative capabilities, he would be consumed, sooner rather than later.

Jaune wasn’t about to go down without a fight, though.

There wasn’t enough room for something explosive, and projectiles weren’t going to do enough damage to free him anytime soon…

‘ _ Mana Blast could work, but I don’t think it’ll get past the scales,’ _ Jaune thought, even as the acid ate through his skin.

It had gotten to a point where his vision was hazy, and a drop of acid had eaten its way through his cheek, only to be healed.

‘ _ What do I do, what do I do?!’ _ Jaune thought, considering his options.

He needed something that had an area-of-effect, but was still strong enough to kill the Taijitu before he was dissolved.

So, Jaune figured that he might as well visualize that, and focus his Mana, somehow shape it into that.

It was, of course, easier said than done, especially when a drop of the acid landed on his eye, searing through the ocular organ and causing Jaune to scream in pain for a moment before it faded, but he still focused.

And then, all of a sudden, he succeeded.

The flesh began to squirm faster, and Jaune soon realised that he had no idea which way was up.

Jaune could see the colour leaching out of the Grimm flesh, the bright red turning dark, the acid dissolving itself in a way Jaune couldn’t comprehend.

It wasn’t dissolving itself, though, as Jaune took a closer look. Instead it seemed to have latched onto the air itself, tinged a faint blue, and was feasting away at it, though the air seemed to be fighting back.

It took Jaune a few seconds, amidst the squirming flesh, that it wasn’t just air.

It was Mana. His Mana. Whatever skill he’d created, whatever spell it was, it seemed to layer the air thick with Mana, and sap away at the very lifeforce of the Grimm.

Hell, it seemed to sap away at everything, except for him.

The Taijitu was in pain, that much was obvious, and it was dying. It seemed to have decided Jaune was the reason for this, as he hadn’t dissolved yet, so it did something that Jaune didn’t expect.

Squeezing its way through the flesh of the inside of the black part of the giant snake Grimm was the white head, red eyes glaring at the boy with furious intensity.

“No, no no no no!” Jaune began to exclaim, himself squirming in order to get as much distance from the head as he could, the flesh rippling around as the snake swallowed itself deeper and deeper in an attempt to get at him.

It was the most confusing thing Jaune had ever thought about, and he couldn’t understand it, but he knew that no matter which direction he headed, he would be getting closer to the white head.

It was very strange to think about.

Crocea Mors and his shield weren’t going to be very effective at defending him in such a small space, and no matter how flexible the Taijitu was, there was no way it could open it’s mouth wide enough to bite him, so he found himself wondering how much of a threat the Taijitu was.

That was when it’s mouth opened very slightly, clamped down on his exposed leg, and began dragging him back through the fleshy internals of the black part of the snake.

“Oh, no, no, why me!” Jaune exclaimed, as the acid that wasn’t preoccupied with attempting to dissolve the Mana affixed itself to his skin, burning away at it.

Jaune wasn’t in agony, per se. It was painful, incredibly so, but the combination of  _ System Body _ healing the burns and the adrenaline rushing through his body was enough to limit what he could feel. Also the shock, that helped.

He was definitely in a lesser kind of shock.

He could see light, though.

His HP was down in the fifties, now, and he didn’t have the luxury of using his Aura to block the attacks, because the acid wasn’t an attack.

There was more time to think about that later, though, because the white head had drawn him out of the mouth of the black head and flung him with speed, chasing after him, fangs bared, hissing loudly.

It did something strange before it made it to him, though.

The white head slumped onto the ground, red eyes fading to a grey, and the scales beginning to flake into ash.

The black head had done the same, as well.

And the little clusters of blue Mana that clung to the inside and outside of the Elder King Taijitu faded slowly, taking little chunks of black ash along with them.

Jaune clambered to his feet from the bush he’d landed in, brushing himself off of any lingering acid, looked towards where his team was, and noticed three things.

The first was that there was more people than just his team standing there.

Second, there was a Bullhead landed behind the crowd of people.

Thirdly, almost all of them were blushing and averting their eyes.

The third observation was enough of a tell to inform Jaune that most of his clothes had probably not survived his serpent-dive, and as he looked down, he was able to confirm that theory.

“Aw, that hoodie took fifty box-tops!”

* * *

  


The good news, Domremy was safe.

The bad news, Jaune had been reduced to freshly healed skin, scattered fragments of clothing, and his armor had been almost completely digested, leaving only fragments of the cheap steel behind.

Also not only had RRYN commandeered a Bullhead to help with the relief efforts at Domremy, and arrived just in time to see him be flung out of the intestines of a snake by that same snake’s head, but they’d also seen him wearing barely anything but acid and scrapped clothing.

Not Jaune’s brightest moment, that’s for certain.

He’d get over it, sure, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t going to linger in his head for the rest of his life, popping up at inopportune moments to embarrass him, or make him squirm in anguish at his misfortune, like late at night when he couldn’t sleep.

Like, for example, right now, as he looked over the results of the invasion from the privacy of his own bed.

** [Encounter Complete!] **

** [You gained 264276XP!] **

Jaune didn’t even read the next line, in complete shock.

He re-read it to make sure he was reading it correctly.

He re-read it a third time. It wasn’t twenty-six thousand.

There were six digits. Six.

Two-hundred-thousand XP.

Well, two-hundred and sixty-four-thousand, two-hundred and seventy-six XP, specifically.

That was a lot.

Jaune kept reading.

** [Level Up!] **

** [You are now Level 18!] **

** [+30 Skill Points!] **

** [Skills Created!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Quake (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can channel and direct Mana into the ground, causing a small, localized earthquake. Costs 160 MP to cast.  _ _** Level 17; XP 42325/58956. ** _ ** ] **

** [ ** _** Mana Calamity (Active):  ** _ _ Thanks to the System, you can create a plane of Mana that saps the very life out of all within it. Costs 150 MP per cast, and lasts 1 minute.  _ _** Level 17; XP 42325/58956. ** _ ** ] **

** [Skills have leveled!] **

** [ ** _** Aura Control ** _ ** has reached Level 18!] **

** [ ** _** Enduring ** _ ** has reached Level 17!] **

** [ ** _** Power  ** _ ** has reached Level 17!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Arrow ** _ ** has reached Level 17!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Blast ** _ ** has reached Level 18!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Bullet ** _ ** has reached Level 17!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Grenade ** _ ** has reached Level 17!] **

** [ ** _** Mana Slash ** _ ** has reached Level 18!] **

** [ ** _** Dodge ** _ ** has reached Level 17!] **

** [ ** _** Observe ** _ ** has reached Level 17!] **

** [ ** _** Shield Bash ** _ ** has reached Level 17!] **

** [ ** _** Weapon Proficiency: One-Handed Melee ** _ ** has reached Level 18!] **

** [ ** _** Weapon Proficiency: Shield  ** _ ** has reached Level 18!] **

Jaune didn’t necessarily feel more powerful, but the thirty skill points begged to differ. He could have some fun with those.

Well, fun in the sense that he could maybe help prevent his skin from being eaten away whilst he was still alive because his only idea was to jump inside a giant two-headed snake monster, but still. Fun.

Of course, there were other things he needed to consider. The couple thousand Lien, the Elder Taijitu Fang, and the Elder Taijitu Scales (four of them) that had dropped in the fight were variables in the grand experiment that was his semblance, but he was mostly concerned about the fact that he no longer really had any kind of combat gear to wear. He was down to a spare pair of pants and a slightly-ratty hoodie that needed some repairs.

Of course, Jaune also had a few ideas concerning both the Lien and the Grimm drops he’d gotten, but that would have to come at a point where he had time.

Right now, though, he needed sleep. It’d been a long day, and they were headed back to Beacon in the morning, ready for the first day of semester the day after they returned.

So, Jaune decided to sleep.

Everything would still be there in the morning, of course.

He’d never noticed the shadowy spectator that had lingered in the darkness of the forest, watching his every move, since the invasion had started.

* * *

  


  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I have a Patreon at patreon.com/AFatFlyingWhale if you feel like supporting me and my writing, and/or getting access to all the behind-the-scenes content for Systema!


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